Delivering a wealth tax: The role of government

This paper describes the role of government – particularly officials in the Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs – in delivering a wealth tax. We argue that it could take over four years to rigorously consider the options, build public support and effectively legislate for and implement a new net wealth tax. 

However, such a long timescale may not be consistent with the UK’s five-year electoral cycles, under which governments find it easier to pass major tax reforms early in the parliament. Ministers could seek to expedite the process but there would be risks in doing so, particularly if the tax were to affect a relatively large proportion of the population and if the government had no existing mandate for this reform. 

The paper was one of the evidence papers for the Wealth Tax Commission, led by Arun Advani (Warwick University), Emma Chamberlain (Pump Court Tax Chambers) and Andy Summers (London School of Economics).