TRANSPARENCY · EVERY FIGURE SOURCED
Every single data source we use
Every number on this site comes from publicly available UK government publications. Nothing is proprietary. Nothing is secret. The government already publishes all of it — we just present it in a way that makes sense to the people who pay.
Important: Britain Needs Us does not generate, estimate, or fabricate any government financial data. Every figure is derived directly from official publications listed below. These documents are freely available to the public. We exercise the right to present, analyse, and comment on publicly available government data under the principle of freedom of expression (Article 10, European Convention on Human Rights; Human Rights Act 1998). Our analysis constitutes fair dealing for the purposes of reporting current events and criticism/review under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, ss. 30-30A.
Primary Data Sources
These are the core publications from which all headline figures are derived.
| Source | Publisher | Used For | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) July 2025 | HM Treasury | Total government revenue and expenditure breakdown, departmental spending, per-household calculations | GOVERNMENT |
| Public Sector Finances (PSF) | Office for National Statistics (ONS) | Monthly borrowing, debt levels, deficit tracking | GOVERNMENT |
| Economic and Fiscal Outlook | Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) | Fiscal projections, fiscal drag estimates, tax receipt forecasts | OFFICIAL |
| Household Estimates (2024) | Office for National Statistics (ONS) | UK household count: 28.6 million (denominator for per-household calculations) | GOVERNMENT |
| Annual Accounts 2024/25 | HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) | Tax receipts by type: Income Tax, NICs, VAT, Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax | GOVERNMENT |
| Green Budget 2025 | Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) | Tax burden analysis, fiscal drag quantification, international comparisons | INDEPENDENT |
| House of Commons Library Briefings | UK Parliament | Historical tax data, NHS statistics, department-specific analyses | OFFICIAL |
Tax Calculator Sources
Every rate and threshold in our 27-input stealth tax calculator is sourced from published HMRC and OBR data.
| Tax / Rate | 2025/26 Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 | HMRC Income Tax rates and allowances |
| Basic Rate (20%) | £12,571 – £50,270 | HMRC Income Tax rates and allowances |
| Higher Rate (40%) | £50,271 – £125,140 | HMRC Income Tax rates and allowances |
| Additional Rate (45%) | Over £125,140 | HMRC Income Tax rates and allowances |
| Employee NI | 8% (£12,570 – £50,270) | HMRC National Insurance rates |
| Employer NI | 15% (from £5,000) | HMRC National Insurance rates (Autumn Budget 2024) |
| Fuel Duty | 58.95p/litre | HMRC Hydrocarbon Oils Duty rates |
| VAT (Standard) | 20% | HMRC VAT rates |
| Insurance Premium Tax | 12% (standard) / 20% (higher) | HMRC IPT rates |
| Air Passenger Duty | £7 – £607 (by band) | HMRC Air Passenger Duty rates |
| Council Tax (Band D average) | £2,171 | DLUHC Council Tax statistics |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax | 0% – 12% (by band) | HMRC SDLT rates |
| Capital Gains Tax | 18% / 24% (residential) or 10% / 20% | HMRC CGT rates |
| Inheritance Tax | 40% (above £325,000) | HMRC IHT rates and thresholds |
| Dividend Tax | 8.75% / 33.75% / 39.35% | HMRC Dividend Tax rates |
| Student Loan Repayment | 9% (Plan 2 above £27,295) | Student Loans Company |
| Vehicle Excise Duty | £190 (standard) | DVLA VED rates |
| TV Licence | £169.50 | BBC / TV Licensing |
| Landfill Tax | £103.70/tonne (standard) | HMRC Landfill Tax rates |
| Climate Change Levy | Varies by fuel type | HMRC CCL rates |
| Aggregates Levy | £2/tonne | HMRC Aggregates Levy rates |
| Tobacco Duty | £6.52/pack of 20 + 16.5% RSP | HMRC Tobacco Duty rates |
| Alcohol Duty | Varies by ABV and product | HMRC Alcohol Duty rates |
| Betting & Gaming Duties | 15% – 50% | HMRC Gaming Duty rates |
| Fiscal Drag (threshold freeze) | ~£25bn total (2021–2028) | OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook; IFS Green Budget 2025 |
Government Scorecard Sources
| Data Point | Source |
|---|---|
| Total government receipts (£1,139bn) | HM Treasury PESA July 2025 |
| Total managed expenditure | HM Treasury PESA July 2025 |
| Departmental expenditure limits | HM Treasury PESA July 2025 |
| Annually managed expenditure | HM Treasury PESA July 2025 |
| Public sector net borrowing | ONS Public Sector Finances |
| Public sector net debt | ONS Public Sector Finances |
| Debt interest payments | OBR / HM Treasury PESA |
| NHS waiting list (7.8m) | NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics |
| Hospital building programme | DHSC New Hospital Programme updates |
| Housing completions | DLUHC Housing Supply statistics |
Historical Comparison Sources (1066 vs Today)
| Data Point | Source |
|---|---|
| Medieval tax burden estimates | Christopher Dyer, Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages (Cambridge University Press) |
| Domesday Book valuations | National Archives, Domesday Book Online |
| Historical tax legislation | House of Commons Library, Briefing Papers |
| Modern effective tax rate | HM Treasury PESA July 2025 / ONS Household Estimates 2024 |
Methodology
Our per-household calculations follow this formula:
Total Government Receipts (£1,139bn) ÷ UK Households (28.6m) = £39,828 per household per year
£39,828 ÷ 12 = £3,319 per household per month
£39,828 ÷ 12 = £3,319 per household per month
This methodology is consistent with the approach used by the IFS and OBR in their distributional analyses. Full methodology is published at /methodology/.
Your Right to This Information
Public information, publicly presented. Every document listed above is published by UK government departments, official statistics bodies, or publicly funded institutions. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, this data is available for re-use, analysis, and publication. Britain Needs Us exercises the right to present government data in an accessible format for public benefit. We do not claim ownership of government data — we claim the right to present it clearly.
Not financial advice. Calculator estimates are indicative only. Britain Needs Us is not regulated by the FCA. Always consult a qualified tax adviser for personal financial decisions.
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