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Campaigners in Rishi Sunak masks criticise chancellor's national insurance hike
Labour has called for chancellor Rishi Sunak to “urgently explain” how much his family has saved on tax bills after it was revealed that his millionaire wife Akshata Murthy has claimed non-domiciled status.
Although it was not revealed exactly how much has been saved by Ms Murthy, sources told The Independent it could have amounted to millions of pounds in tax on foreign earnings over several years.
The “non-dom” status means that she does not have to pay UK tax on income from dividends from foreign investments, rental payments on property overseas or bank interest. The status also means a person avoids UK inheritance tax.
A spokesperson for Ms Murthy said: “Akshata Murty is a citizen of India, the country of her birth and parent’s home. India does not allow its citizens to hold the citizenship of another country simultaneously. So, according to British law, Ms Murty is treated as non-domiciled for UK tax purposes. She has always and will continue to pay UK taxes on all her UK income.”
Key Points Rishi Sunak’s millionaire wife avoids tax through non-dom status Labour asks Sunak to explain wife's non-dom status
Show latest update 1649315720 Conservative MPs continue to defend Rishi Sunak over wife's non-dom status
Conservative MP Sir John Redwood defends Rishi Sunak’s wife after claims she used her “non-dom” status for tax purposes: “It’s a great shame people result to these tactics against a public figure. His wife has behaved honourably.”
“I want to live in a country where rich people from other countries can come here legally and make a contribution to our society and our lives, invest here, make jobs here and pay tax on all they do in Britain without having to sacrifice their original status as a foreign national,” Mr Redwood said.
“I see nothing wrong with that system,” he added.
Thomas Kingsley 7 April 2022 08:15
1649314820 Watch: Ed Miliband calls for Rishi Sunak to address wife’s non-dom status
Labour shadow climate change minister Ed Miliband has called for chancellor Rishi Sunak to explain himself over his wife’s non-dom staus.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain today, he said there was a question to be answered at a time when the chancellor was raising taxes on families across the country.
“There is a question for the chancellor to answer about his immediate family and them shieling themselves from UK taxes because at a time when the chancellor is raising taxes on families across our coutnry, I think there are real questions to answer,” Mr Miliband said.
Thomas Kingsley 7 April 2022 08:00
1649313920 Rishi Sunak ‘always been transparent about these issues,’ business secretary says
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said Rishi Sunak has always been transparent about issues concerning his family’s wealth.
While speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News, Mr Kwarteng defended Mr Sunak reiterating that her non-domicile status is completely legal and that it’s “unfair” that his wife is being attacked.
“I agree with him [Rishi Sunak] that it’s completely unfair to be bringing someone that’s not a politician and essentially attacking them in the way that’s happening, I agree on that,” Mr Kwarteng said.
Kay Burley then pressed him on the matter asking how it looks that the British public are being asked to pay more tax as a result of National Insurance increases while “the wife of the man asking us to do that is earning millions from overseas investments and not paying a penny?”
“I looked at her statement yesterday and she made it very clear that as an Indian national she can not have dual citizenship and she has non-dom status in the UK,” Mr Kwarteng replied.
“After 15 years staying here she will be domicile but for the moment she pays tax on UK income and foreign income she pays tax outside the UK, that’s what non-dom status means,” he added.
Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (James Manning/PA)
(PA Wire)
Thomas Kingsley 7 April 2022 07:45
1649313020 ‘Rishi Sunak is laughing at you,’ says Angela Rayner
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said Rishi Sunak is laughing at the British public following reports in The Independent that his wife Akshata Murty has non-dom status which she may have used to “avoid paying millions of pounds in UK tax” according to sources.
“Rishi Sunak is laughing at you,” Ms Rayner said in a tweet accompanied by pictures of newspaper headlines leading on the story.
Thomas Kingsley 7 April 2022 07:30
1649312131 Editorial | Rishi Sunak’s non-dom wife’s income is a matter of legitimate public interest
The revelation of Akshata Murty’s non-dom status has opened even more questions about the wealth of Rishi Sunak’s family after he was challenged about his wife’s link to a large tech company sustaining its operations in Moscow.
Contrary to Mr Sunak’s protestations, the pecuniary interests of spouses are a matter of legitimate public interest are also addressed in the ministerial code. It states that ministers should give the civil service a “full list” of interests, and this “should also cover interests of the minister’s spouse or partner and close family, which might be thought to give rise to a conflict.”
Read the full editorial below:
Editorial: Sunak’s non-dom wife’s income is a matter of legitimate public interest Editorial: Politically it adds to the impression of a cabinet and party out of touch with a population struggling with the cost of living crisis
Thomas Kingsley 7 April 2022 07:15
1649310831 Boris Johnson defends tax hike
Prime minister Boris Johnson has defended the decision to hike up the national insurance for millions of workers as “necessary, fair and responsible”.
The government predicts that the tax rise will raise ￡39 bn over the next three years to help reduce the Covid-induced NHS backlog and later reform adult social care for the long-term.
Mr Johnson said: “We must be there for our NHS in the same way that it is there for us. Covid led to the longest waiting lists we’ve ever seen, so we will deliver millions more scans, checks and operations in the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’ history.”
“The levy is the necessary, fair and responsible next step, providing our health and care system with the long term funding it needs as we recover from the pandemic,” the prime minister said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 April 2022 06:53
1649309764 Black households up to four times more likely to be starving
As the UK struggles with the falling standards of living, Black households in the country are likely to suffer up to four times more from food insecurity than the national average.
Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions family resources survey show that in the 2020-21 financial year, some 21 per cent of households headed by someone from a Black African, Black Caribbean or Black British background didn’t have enough food to stay healthy and active. This figure is three times more than the UK average of 7 per cent.
Some 12 per cent of households headed by someone from a Bangladeshi heritage also suffered from very low food security, while households led by someone from a Pakistani background are the second most food insecure overall at 17 per cent.
Nadine White has more.
Black households up to four times more likely to be starving than national average Exclusive: As the nation grapples with the cost of living crisis, Black and Asian households are most likely to suffer from food shortages
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 April 2022 06:36
1649308764 Cost of living crisis to widen gap between north and south
The economic divide between the northern and southern parts of England is set to widen as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, new research suggests
.Of the 31 areas most vulnerable to soaring fuel, food and energy prices, 19 are in the north and another eight are in the Midlands, according to analysis compiled by the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP).
According to the think tank, people living in Middlesbrough, Hull and Blackburn with Darwen will be hit hardest by skyrocketing costs in the coming months.“Levelling up slogans will be dead on arrival at the next election unless the government reconsiders its policy options,” said Ben Franklin, director of the CPP.
Colin Drury reports.
Cost of living crisis set to widen gap between north and south, research warns Former red wall constituencies which switched allegiance from Labour to Conservatives at last election make up majority of areas set to be hit hardest
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 April 2022 06:19
1649307799 Who is Akshata Murthy?
Born to tech-giant Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and author Sudha Murthy, Akshata Murthy has a 0.9 per cent stake in the company worth hundreds of millions of pounds, according to its latest annual report.
Together with her chancellor husband Rishi Sunak, Ms Murthy owns the London-based Catamaran Ventures UK, The Guardian reports. Mr Sunak transferred his shares to his wife shortly before entering parliament as an MP in 2015.
Ms Murthy, now 42, is also listed as a shareholder in at least six other companies, including Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria, Wendy’s restaurants in India and New & Lingwood, a men’s apparel store which measures Etonians for tailcoats and silk dressing gowns.
Alice Murphy has more.
Who is Akshata Murthy, Rishi Sunak’s millionaire wife? Believed to be richer than the Queen, the 42-year-old daughter of Indian IT billionaire NR Narayana Murthy captured the heart of Britain’s chancellor during their time at Stanford University
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 April 2022 06:03
1649305917 Labour asks Sunak to explain wife's non-dom status
Tulip Siddiq, Labour’s shadow economic secretary to the Treasury, has called on Rishi Sunak to “urgently explain how much he and his family have saved on their own tax bill” at the same time as raising taxes for millions of people during the cost of living crisis.
“The chancellor has imposed tax hike after tax hike on the British people. It is staggering that – at the same time – his family may have been benefitting from tax reduction schemes. This is yet another example of the Tories thinking it is one rule for them, another for everyone else,” she said.
Mr Sunak had raised the tax burden on UK residents to its highest level since the 1940s in his spring statement last month amid a sharp decline in the standards of living.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 April 2022 05:31
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