Overview
- The petition, launched by Shannon Keene, calls for raising the income tax personal allowance from £12,570 to £20,000 to ease pressures from rent, bills and childcare.
- Crossing 10,000 signatures compels a written government response, and reaching 100,000 would make it eligible for consideration for a parliamentary debate.
- The personal allowance has been frozen at £12,570 since April 2021, and the Labour Government has said the freeze will continue until April 2028.
- Exchequer Secretary James Murray has warned that increasing the allowance to £20,000 would cost more than £50bn, stressing the need for fiscal responsibility.
- Supporters argue the freeze has produced fiscal drag that brings more low earners into paying income tax, a concern gaining attention ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Autumn Budget.