Why Britain will have the world’s 4th largest top tax rate

Anyone arriving at Heathrow airport will see those HSBC adverts comparing the top rate of tax in various countries. The message is that HSBC knows the world, but the advert works because that airport is used by the world’s rich to hop between country to country, wondering where is best to live, work and declare taxes. The top rate of tax is a powerful symbol, as it tells what that particular country’s attitude to wealth creators. After April next year, only three countries on the planet will have greater top rates of tax than Britain – Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. Here is a selected list of the rest, as compiled last year by KPMG: