UK tax petitions call for increase to personal allowance

Multiple petitions are circulating in the United Kingdom calling for changes to the HMRC personal allowance, which has been frozen at £12,570 since 2021. One campaign, led by Mike Haynes, seeks to raise the threshold to £18,000 to prevent fiscal drag from pulling more people, including minimum wage earners, into the tax system. This petition has gathered over 68,000 signatures and requires 100,000 to trigger a Parliamentary debate.

Another campaign, initiated by Stewart Wilks, specifically targets pensioners. It proposes restoring an age-related personal allowance set at 110% of the full annual new State Pension, with automatic annual increases linked to the State Pension Triple Lock. Supporters argue this would support local economies through increased pensioner spending.

HM Treasury has already responded to the first petition, stating there are currently no plans to increase the allowance. The Government warned that such a move would carry a fiscal cost exceeding £40 billion annually and argued that the current system helps fund essential public services like schools and hospitals.