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Poor households 'pay 47% of income in tax'
The poorest 10% of households pay almost half of their gross income in tax, analysis by a campaign group has claimed.
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Campaigners: Radical reform needed to tax system
The campaign group behind new research that suggests poorer households pay almost half of their income in tax, has called for radical reform to the "pernicious" tax system.
The campaign group's chief executive Jonathan Isaby said:
Poor households 'pay 47% of income in tax'
The poorest 10% of households pay almost half of their gross income in tax, analysis by a campaign group has claimed.
The TaxPayers' Alliance research found that direct and indirect taxes accounted for an average 47% of the gross income of the poorest 10% of households, with VAT accounting for the biggest share of the bill.
The analysis of Office for National Statistics figures showed that the average gross income, including benefits, in the group was £9,743 but after tax the figure was £5,132.
The figures for 2012/13 showed that for the poorest 10%, some 13.9% of their gross income went on VAT, 7.2% on council tax and 5.6% on alcohol or tobacco duties.
The top 10% of households paid an average 35% of their gross income in taxes, some £37,287 a year, with income tax accounting for 19.1% of the money paid to the Exchequer.