UK: Reform unveils ‘Robin Hood’ tax policy to charge non-doms £250,000 fee

Reform UK is set to propose the reintroduction of non-domicile tax status, charging wealthy individuals a £250,000 fee that would be redistributed to Britain’s poorest workers, party leader Nigel Farage has revealed.

The policy, which Mr Farage is expected to formally unveil on Monday, aims to “encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom”, according to reports in The Telegraph.

The quarter-of-a-million-pound charge would be a condition of the reinstated status.

The non-dom status, which applies to UK residents whose permanent home or domicile for tax purposes is outside the country, was abolished by the Labour government in April.

This move followed plans initially put forward by Conservative chancellor Sir Jeremy Hunt in 2024, with his successor, Labour’s Rachel Reeves, accelerating the process.

Reform UK’s policy would mean “every high-net-worth newcoming (or returning leaver)” would pay a £250,000 one-off fee “in return for a stable, indefinite remittance-style regime on offshore income and a 20-year inheritance-tax shield”, Mr Farage wrote in an article for The Telegraph.

Nigel Farage unveiled the plan on Monday (AFP/ Getty)
Nigel Farage unveiled the plan on Monday (AFP/ Getty)
All of the fee would be given to Britain’s lowest-paid full-time workers through an automatic tax-free dividend via HMRC, the party leader added.

The plan has been dubbed been a ‘Robin Hood’ policy for taking money from the wealthy and redistributing it to the poor.

In response, Labour said the policy was a “golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country”.

Mr Farage wrote: “Our policy is simple – Britain must be a place where success is celebrated, not punished with excessive taxes, crippling energy costs, or punitive inheritance levies.

“We will actively encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom, on the clear condition that those who come here deliver immediate, visible benefits to our workers.”

The plan would mean around 2.5 million “hard-working Britons” would receive an “annual cash bonus”, the Reform UK leader claimed. He added: “Our policy is not a ‘golden visa’ or a backdoor to citizenship.

“It is a one-time flat tax paid by newcomers in exchange for the certainty of a favourable tax status.

“Individuals will still be liable for all standard UK taxes on UK-sourced income, property and spending.

“But they won’t be taxed on offshore income and gains for the duration of their agreed status.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage can brand this whatever he wants – the reality is his first proper policy is a golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country.

“As ever with Reform, the devil is in the detail.

“This giveaway would reduce revenues raised from the rich that would have to be made up elsewhere – through tax hikes on working families or through Farage’s promise to charge them to use the NHS.”