Majority of British households get more from the State than they pay in tax, study finds
THE majority of British households bag more in benefits than they pay in tax, according to a shocking new study.
For the first time ever over 50 per cent of homes - around 36 million people - take more from the government than they give.
But this includes "benefits in kind", such as access to schools and the NHS.
The figure marks a huge rise on the final decades of the 20th century, when the average sat at 41.2 per cent.
Civitas, the think tank that compiled the study, say the richest 10% of Brits are footing most of the benefits bill.
They pay three times as much income tax as the bottom 60%.
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Meanwhile, the top 20% of earners on average pay £35,000 more in taxes than they receive in public spending.
In contrast, the bottom 40% take an average of £23,000 a year in cash benefits and "benefits in kind".
The Civitas report sparked fury among some Tory MPs today, who described Britain's tax system as unfair.
Ashfield MP Lee Anderson said: "Over half the households in Britain get more from the state than they pay in tax, while the top 10% of earners account for 53% of all income tax.
"We cannot have less than 50% of the population supporting the majority. It's just not fair."
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Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith added: "Some interesting stats here. More needs to be done to remove disincentives to work."
Millions of Brits currently suffer from the highest tax burden since World War Two.
The Treasury says this because of a combination of global factors, including the pandemic, inflation and war in Ukraine.
On March 15, the highly anticipated Spring Budget is set to be revealed by Jeremy Hunt.
In the Commons the Chancellor will announce how much the price of beer, cigarettes, fuel and income tax will change - if at all.
Last week, Rishi Sunak crushed dreams of any major cuts going ahead.
In a swipe at some of his own MPs, he declared only “idiots” think income tax will be slashed this year.
But the PM insisted he's still a Conservative at heart and will slash taxes as soon as it's viable.
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In response to the record high tax burden, last week 40 Tory MPs launched a new Conservative Growth Group.
The group will pressure their party leader and PM to "go for growth" by slashing red tape, targeting cutting taxes and refocusing the state.