Politicians' taxes: Who's published what
11 April 2016
In the wake of the Panama Papers revelations, there have been calls for the UK's political leaders to publish details of their own tax affairs. Here's what has been released so far: The prime minister published a summary of his tax returns from 2009 to 2015 in an attempt to defuse a row over his personal finances. The document showed Mr Cameron's mother had given him a PS200,000 gift after his father's death, which could potentially avoid inheritance tax. Last year, the prime minister paid almost PS76,000 in tax on an income of more than PS200,000. Those earnings included almost PS47,000 from a share of rent paid on his family home in west London, vacated when the Camerons moved to Downing Street. Downing Street is providing no details about the PS72,000 the Mr Cameron received for selling "other shares" beyond his investment in his father's Blairmore Holdings fund or the PS40,000 he received in cash from his own stock-broking account. The following day, details of the chancellor's income were released on the government's website. It showed he had paid PS72,210 in tax in 2014-15 on a total taxable income of PS198,738. His income included PS33,562 in rental income on his London home and PS44,647 in dividend income from shares in his father's wallpaper company. He also received just PS3 in bank interest. Just after Mr Osborne, as Mr Cameron's Commons statement got under way, the Labour leader released his own tax return for 2014-15. It showed he had declared PS1,850 of taxable income on top of his parliamentary salary. Explaining the delay in releasing the document - he had promised it "very soon" two days earlier - Mr Corbyn's spokesman said he had had to ask HM Revenue & Customs for a copy. It also emerged Mr Corbyn had been fined PS100 for submitting the document after the deadline. The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, published his return - showing earnings of PS61,575 and tax of PS14,253 - in January, during a row over Google's tax settlement. Scotland's first minister has published her tax return for 2014-15, promising to do so every year. She followed Scotland's other political leaders in releasing the information. Scottish Labour's Kezia Dugdale released her returns on Saturday, and was followed by Tory Ruth Davidson. SNP leader Ms Sturgeon and Willie Rennie, of the Lib Dems, then published their documents the following day. Leaders of Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have revealed their tax details, with party chiefs in the Welsh Conservatives and Welsh Labour vowing to do the same. Plaid leader Leanne Wood became the first Welsh political leader to make her tax details public, on Sunday evening. The self-assessment tax calculation shows she paid PS9,043 income tax on taxable income of PS38,547. The London mayor released figures showing he has paid more than PS1m in tax in the past four years on his earnings from publishing and journalism, as well as his mayoral salary. In 2014-15, he recorded PS266,667 for his Daily Telegraph column and PS224,617 in book royalties, his accounts show. The two favourites to replace Mr Johnson in City Hall, Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan, published their details in February. Conservative backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg has predicted all MPs will be publishing their tax figures within two years, reflecting changes in the "public mood" over tax transparency. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has promised to publish his, Among those to have already done so are Labour's former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, who published a scanned copy of his tax return for 2014-15, and ex-minister Caroline Flint who released figures for her total income and expenditure. Downing Street said Mr Cameron thought it right for prime ministers, "potential prime ministers", chancellors and shadow chancellors to publish their tax details. But Mr Cameron said he did not think all MPs should be compelled to routinely publish similar information. Another Conservative MP, Charles Walker, said there was "a new culture of bullying" in the UK and warned of a situation where public figures could end up having to release a stream of personal information such as medical records. And UKIP leader Nigel Farage said he wouldn't be divulging any details, since most people regarded tax as a private matter. "Neighbours would hate the thought that the people at Number 32 knew what their income was," he told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour programme.
Conservative backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg has predicted all MPs will be publishing their tax figures within two years, reflecting changes in the "public mood" over tax transparency. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has promised to publish his, Among those to have already done so are Labour's former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, who published a scanned copy of his tax return for 2014-15, and ex-minister Caroline Flint who released figures for her total income and expenditure. Downing Street said Mr Cameron thought it right for prime ministers, "potential prime ministers", chancellors and shadow chancellors to publish their tax details. But Mr Cameron said he did not think all MPs should be compelled to routinely publish similar information. Another Conservative MP, Charles Walker, said there was "a new culture of bullying" in the UK and warned of a situation where public figures could end up having to release a stream of personal information such as medical records. And UKIP leader Nigel Farage said he wouldn't be divulging any details, since most people regarded tax as a private matter. "Neighbours would hate the thought that the people at Number 32 knew what their income was," he told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour programme.
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