The Giga Poll - Report - Page 4
Rich are getting
richer and poor
are suffering...
it needs to stop
A TOP priority of the British
people is for Keir Starmer to
impose a wealth tax on the richest
in our society.
The Government has resisted increasing
calls to raise taxes on the super-rich as a way
of boosting the Treasury’s coffers and balancing the books.
But in what has been dubbed the Giga
Poll – the sounding out of more than 45,000
people on the issue – it was the third most
popular demand of the public.
Three quarters of those polled say wealthy
people are getting richer while poorer
people are falling further behind. Only 7%
disagree.
And four out of ten Britons when asked
to vote on the issues they most cared about
said a new wealth tax was top of their
priority list.
Green entrepreneur Dale Vince, who
commissioned the poll, and who has actively called for himself and others to be taxed
more, said he wanted the wealth tax question to be put to the widest possible number
of people.
“I’m delighted that myself, and other
campaigners, have been vindicated by the
public’s support to get the rich – and that
includes myself – taxed more.
“We’ve a massive hole in the public
finances and it needs to be resolved by those
with the deepest pockets paying their fair
share of taxes.”
Vince, one of Britain’s biggest taxpayers, has called for a tax of 2% on assets of
more than £10million that would generate
£24billion a year and would impact only
20,000 people.
He added: “If millionaires don’t
want to pay up, they should go. I
think there’s an imbalance in
our tax system.
“The more money you
have the less tax you pay.
I think that’s wrong. We
have extreme poverty in
our country.
“Our tax system was
written by rich people for
rich people.”
Fears that public spending will be slashed across
Whitehall departments have increased as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’
fiscal headroom has become tighter.
Depressingly grim reading for the
Government will be how desperate people feel about the state of their personal
finances.
Four-in-ten people think they will get
worse with only one-in-four believing they
will get better.
A shocking statistic from the polling is
how many people feel their daily lives are impacted by their struggle to pay the bills – and
WEALTH TAX:
That’s what
Britain wants
CARE WORKER
SAM’S BATTLE
TO SURVIVE
ON POOR PAY
I’VE worked in social care for
35 years. It’s more than a job
to me. It’s the chance to make a
difference to the lives of the most
vulnerable.
I’ve supported adults with
complex needs through highs and
lows - providing personal care,
medication, help with day-to-day
activities and emotional support.
When I started in
1990 my wages were
good. But pay and
conditions in social
care have declined
14.3m
people were living
in poverty in the
UK in 2022-23
MONDAY 29.09.2025
are tragically forced
to skip meals.
Nine per cent feel
financially
desperate with people polled
saying: “I currently cannot
afford essentials such as food,
rent or mortgage. I am already taking extreme measures such as skipping meals or
missing rent payments.”
And 25% feel worried about their financial future, explaining: “I’m currently keeping up with essential payments, but I fear I
won’t be able to soon if things continue as
they are. I cannot afford luxuries now.”
Thirty per cent feel like “I’m getting by
but making cutbacks – I can afford the essentials but I’m having to cut back on luxu-
steeply since then. This has
taken a real toll. I’ve gone from
comfortably feeding my family
to counting items in the trolley.
Haircuts and days out require
extra shifts.
Low pay and insecurity isn’t
just bad for social care staff, it’s
bad for those we care for.
With an ageing population we
can’t afford to lose a single care
worker yet people are leaving the
sector in droves for better-paid
jobs elsewhere.
That’s why Labour’s Make
Work Pay agenda is so important.
As part of the employment
rights reforms, there will be a
landmark deal for social care
that will provide the fair pay,
better conditions and dignity care
workers deserve. It can’t come
soon enough.
ries and the things that make life enjoyable.”
Twenty-nine per cent feel comfortable:
“I have enough money to afford essentials
and save for a rainy day, and I can enjoy some luxuries, if I’m careful with my
budget.”
And five per cent feel well-off: “I don’t
need to worry about money, I can usually
afford both essentials and luxuries, and save
money” – with 2% preferring not to say.
Lawyer and philanthropist Julia Davies,
member of the Patriotic Millionaires
UK (PMUK) network, said: “Everyone
deserves to live decent lives – not just
the wealthiest few. Working people have
paid their fair share for long enough, now
it’s time for the super-rich to step up and
start contributing properly to the society
REAL TOLL: Sam
forced to do extra
shifts for treats
that made their wealth possible.” Stephen
Kinsella, also a member of PMUK, said:
“Our country is crumbling while the
wealth of a few increases. We all know
the system is designed by and for the very
rich and that has to change. Why would
the Government resist such a necessary
and popular measure? We need a wealth
tax now.”
And Phil White, PMUK member, added:
“A wealth tax is the patriotic thing our
country is crying out for.
“It would raise £24billion a year to fix
our economy and public services, give the
next generation a better future and show
that the wealthy are prepared to do their
bit. Forget painting flags on roundabouts,
this is what will unite our kingdom.”
