Taxing time for Ed Sheeran as singer pays £28m to HMRC
Singer Ed Sheeran paid a whopping £28m in taxes this year, making him one of the UK’s biggest taxpayers.
Ed Sheeran was named along with 49 others as part of the Sunday Times Tax List, which lists the taxes paid by the wealthiest in the country.
Sheeran was by far the most high-profile new entry onto the tax list. His 2020 wealth stood at £200m.
Other high-profile names on the Sunday Times Tax List included Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who paid £34.8m to the taxman. Her wealth in 2020 stood at £795m.
Rowling’s tax liabilities have fallen by just under £14m in the past year from £48.6m to £34.8m. With theatres and theme parks closed, her earnings are down from an estimated £100m to £72.5m, resulting in a smaller tax exposure.
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic decline in the taxes paid by the wealthiest people in the country, according to the latest Sunday Times Tax list.
The extent of the tax liabilities needed to make the UK top 50 taxpayers list fell from £20.4m last year to £13.1 this year – a fall of more than a third (36%) in the past 12 months.
Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley has paid £46m to HMRC this year, placing him 12th on the list. His wealth last year stood at nearly £2bn.
Among those no longer featuring in the tax list is Sir Philip Green, who has seen his main business, Arcadia, fall into administration in the past year. He and his wife Lady Tina Green ranked 23rd in last year’s tax list with a tax liability of £44.4m.
Meanwhile the Duke of Westminster paid £41.2m to the taxman, bringing him in 15th on the list with wealth of more than £10bn.