The “Proud to Pay” campaign says a package of wealth and tax reforms could raise £50 billion a year for public services and inequality reduction as prominent entertainers and entrepreneurs join the push.
A group of 120 millionaires in the United Kingdom has called on new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy, arguing that richer households should contribute more as the country grapples with inequality and living-cost pressures. In the “Proud to Pay” campaign, organized by Patriotic Millionaires UK, signatories said they want higher taxes on extreme wealth rather than on people who earn income from work. The group proposes a 2% tax on wealth over £10 million ($13.3 million), which it says is backed by 80% of U.K. millionaires and could raise about £24 billion ($32 billion) a year. It also says capital gains tax reforms, including aligning capital gains tax rates with income tax, could add £12 billion ($16 billion) annually. Together with Tax Justice UK, it outlined 10 reforms and closed loopholes, including stronger inheritance taxes and action against offshore tax avoidance, estimating the package could raise £50 billion ($66.5 billion) a year. The signatories include Gary Lineker, Brian Eno, Simon Pegg, Richard Curtis, Val McDermid, Dale Vince, Gary Stevenson and Julia Davies. Lineker said paying a fair share is a “basic British value” and argued that the richest people can afford to contribute more while many Britons are struggling. The intervention lands as Burnham has signaled he may “ask for a little bit more” in taxes and suggested that could include a wealth tax. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds welcomed the initiative but said any major tax changes would be announced at a budget. Campaigners frame the push as a response to widening wealth gaps and a cost-of-living squeeze marked by high housing, food and energy costs. Oxfam said in a 2026 report that the richest 1% of Britons own 21.3% of the country’s wealth, while the poorest 50% own 4.6%, and the Resolution Foundation said the richest 10% of households held around half of total assets in a 2025 study.