Our approach
Britain Needs Us is run by a private citizen, not an economist, not a Treasury official, and not a financial services firm. These figures were compiled using publicly available government data because no government agency presents this information in plain English, per household, per month.
If there are errors in our calculations, we welcome corrections — and we would note that the difficulty of reaching these numbers is itself the point. A citizen should not need a degree in economics to understand what they pay.
If the government believes our methodology is wrong, we invite them to publish their own per-household, per-month breakdown in plain English. We will link to it here.
Data sources
| Figure | Source | Publication | Date Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts £1,139bn | ONS | Public Sector Current Receipts | March 2026 |
| Households 28.6m | ONS | Families and Households UK 2024 | July 2025 |
| Per household/month £3,319 | Derived | £1,139bn ÷ 28.6m ÷ 12 | March 2026 |
| Debt interest £106bn | House of Commons Library | Budget deficit short guide | March 2026 |
| NHS spend £197bn | HM Treasury | PSS July 2025 | March 2026 |
| Housing spend £11bn | HM Treasury | PESA July 2025 | March 2026 |
| Fiscal drag ~£25bn | OBR/IFS | Threshold freeze analysis | March 2026 |
| Tax burden 39.4% GDP | IFS | Green Budget 2025 | March 2026 |
| National debt £2.8tn | ONS | Public Sector Finances | March 2026 |
| NHS waiting list 7.8m | NHS England | Referral to Treatment | Feb 2026 |
| Homes built 156,000 | MHCLG | Live Tables | 2025 |
How the 57% is calculated
We take total government receipts (£1,139bn) and divide by total household income across 28.6m households. The result — approximately 57% — represents the share of average gross household income consumed by all forms of taxation: direct (income tax, NI), indirect (VAT, council tax), and embedded (fuel duty, insurance premium tax, fiscal drag, and the other stealth mechanisms).
This is higher than the payslip rate because it includes taxes you never see on any statement.
Corrections
Email matt@britainneedsus.co.uk with: the figure you believe is wrong, the correct figure, and the source.
Valid corrections will be updated within 5 working days with a note and credit.
These are estimates produced by a private individual using publicly available government data. They do not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Britain Needs Us is not regulated by the FCA. All figures are subject to quarterly update when new government data is published.