Theresa May under pressure to publish tax return as Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell produce theirs
2 min read
Theresa May and Philip Hammond have been urged to publish their full tax returns after Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell once again produced theirs.
The official submissions showed that Mr Corbyn earned a total of £136,762 from his MP’s salary, opposition leader' pay, and pensions, and paid a total of £48,079.80 in tax.
Shadow Chancellor Mr McDonnell earned £87,353 from his MP’s wage and pensions, leaving him with a total tax bill of £24,099.20.
Mr Corbyn said all party leaders should tell the public how much tax they pay.
"Tax avoidance and evasion deprive our public services of tens of billions of pounds every year and will only be tackled if we have the political will to do it," he said.
"We cannot expect the public to trust us as party leaders, if we are not prepared to be open and honest about our own tax arrangements."
Mr McDonnell said: "I have again published my full tax return. I have done this every year as Shadow Chancellor because I believe if you aspire to be in charge of the nation’s finances then you should be as open and transparent about your own income as possible.
"It is right that people in high office are subject to a high degree of scrutiny and I call on the Prime Minister and Chancellor to follow suit and publish their tax returns in full."
Mrs May revealed a summary of her earnings as part of her Tory leadership bid in 2016, but has not done so since.
Last March, a Downing Street spokesman said there was no “longstanding convention” requiring her to do so.
Chancellor Mr Hammond also made clear last March that he had “no intention” of publishing his own tax return.
"Just for the record my tax affairs are all perfectly regular and up to date,” he told the Andrew Marr Show. "But this demonstration politics isn’t helping to create a better atmosphere in British politics."
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