Economy

The wait for 'Tax Freedom Day' in the UK is getting longer

Every year, the day comes when people in the UK stop working for the tax man and start taking home all of their pay. According to The Adam Smith Institute, 'Tax Freedom Day' 2018 is today and has arrived at its latest point in the year since reliable figures have been available - 1995. That means that the average worker has to work for 148 days (including weekends) before they have earned the amount necessary to pay their annual tax bill.

The figures are of course just meant to be indicative and, due to the UK's proportional tax system, some people will have a different 'Tax Freedom Day' - generally coming later for high-earners and earlier for low-earners. The main message to take away from this infographic, is that the trend is very much upward, with the tax burden only getting bigger. You can find more detailed analysis and methodology information here.

Description

This chart shows the number of days the average person in the UK needs to work to pay their total annual taxes from 1995 to 2018.

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