The billionaire brothers behind Betfred have topped the Sunday Instances 2026 Tax Record, after paying an estimated £400.1 million to the UK Treasury, making them the nation’s largest particular person taxpayers.
Fred and Peter Completed, founders of the betting empire, took the highest spot within the annual rankings, with round half of their contribution linked to playing duties generated by Betfred’s nationwide chain of betting outlets.
The listing, now in its eighth 12 months, highlights the dimensions of tax paid by Britain’s wealthiest enterprise figures and celebrities, at the same time as considerations develop over a gradual migration of high-net-worth people abroad.
Pub tycoon Tim Martin ranked eighth, with a private tax contribution slightly below £200 million. His firm, JD Wetherspoon, operates 794 pubs and paid a complete of £837.1 million in taxes final 12 months, averaging greater than £1 million per pub throughout company tax, VAT, enterprise charges and gaming duties.
Martin, who owns 26.7% of the group, stated he had no complaints about his private tax invoice, describing taxation as a political alternative for voters reasonably than a private grievance.
Different main contributors within the high ten included financiers Alex Gerko, Chris Rokos and Peter Hargreaves, alongside retail figures corresponding to Mike Ashley of Sports activities Direct, Tom Morris of House Bargains, the Perkins household behind Specsavers, and Stephen Rubin, a significant shareholder in JD Sports activities and proprietor of Speedo.
Amongst public figures, Harry Types emerged because the highest-contributing celeb, ranked 54th total, with an estimated £24.7 million tax invoice. Most of his contribution stems from touring and merchandise revenue generated by his firm, Erskine Information.
He completed forward of fellow singer Ed Sheeran, who paid slightly below £20 million in tax after receiving a £41 million dividend final 12 months.
At 72nd on the listing, Erling Haaland turned the youngest entrant. The Manchester Metropolis striker, whose earnings exceed £500,000 per week earlier than bonuses and picture rights, is estimated to have paid £16.9 million in UK tax.
Different notable names included JK Rowling, the Timpson household, Dyson founder James Dyson, and Douglas and Iain Anderson of the GAP Group, which provides infrastructure for festivals and main occasions.
The 2026 listing coincides with what the Sunday Instances describes as an ongoing exodus of rich people from the UK. Fourteen of these featured at the moment are resident abroad, with a number of based mostly in Monaco, Jersey, Guernsey, Portugal, Cyprus, Dubai and the USA.
Regardless of the development, Peter Completed, 78, stated he had no intention of leaving Britain. “We owe this nation,” he advised the newspaper, including that profitable entrepreneurs have a duty to pay tax the place their wealth was created.
In keeping with HMRC information, the highest 1% of earners within the UK — these incomes greater than £219,000 earlier than tax — presently contribute round 26.6% of all revenue tax receipts. Whereas nonetheless vital, that share has fallen from 30.7% in 2021–22, partly because of frozen revenue tax thresholds and the relocation of some excessive earners overseas.
The Sunday Instances Tax Record is compiled utilizing the newest firm accounts filed as much as 10 January and features a broad vary of levies, from company and dividend tax to capital beneficial properties, revenue tax and sector-specific duties corresponding to playing and alcohol taxes.
