For journalists, researchers, and media. Everything you need to report on The Stealth Tax Project™.
The Stealth Tax Project™ is an independent data journalism initiative that catalogues, quantifies and publishes all identifiable taxes paid by UK households — not just the seven that appear on a payslip. Using publicly available data from HMRC, the OBR, ONS, the IFS and the House of Commons Library, the project calculates an estimated real effective tax rate for the average British household, making the true scale of the UK tax burden impossible to ignore.
Britain Needs Us is the platform that hosts The Stealth Tax Project™ alongside a free interactive tax calculator, daily rotating tax explainers, and a growing library of data-led briefings on the UK economy. It was founded in 2025 with a single purpose: to close the gap between what government statistics say and what working households actually experience. The site receives no advertising, has no political affiliation, and is funded entirely by its readers.
Matt Andrews is a British entrepreneur and data journalist based in Hampshire. He founded Britain Needs Us in 2025 after becoming frustrated by the gap between official tax statistics and the reality facing working UK households. The Stealth Tax Project™ is his attempt to make that gap undeniable.
All statistics published by The Stealth Tax Project™ are derived from official UK government data and peer-reviewed public research. No proprietary or unverified data sources are used.
Effective tax rate calculations are based on the ONS household income and expenditure surveys, adjusted for indirect taxes (VAT, fuel duty, council tax, insurance premium tax) as well as direct taxes. All assumptions and formulas are documented in the full methodology.
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