A record number of people are now paying the highest rate of tax thanks to wage inflation and the reduction in pensions tax relief. That’s according to figures from HM Revenue & Customs.
While the proportion of people paying the 45 per cent additional rate is still small compared to the overall number of income tax payers (just 1.2 per cent), it is nonetheless a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. It also represents a 54 per cent rise since the tax band was introduced.
HMRC says that, by the end of this financial year, an estimated 364,000 people will be paying the 45p rate of tax on income over £150,000, up from 311,000 in 2013-14. A further 4.2 million citizens (13.7 per cent of taxpayers) earn more than £45,001 and therefore pay tax at the higher 40 per cent rate.
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