Business leaders from region are among highest tax payers in the UK

JD Sports

Five business leaders from the North West have made the list of highest taxpayers in the country.

Stephen Rubin, the majority owner of Bury based JD Sports, has been revealed as Britain’s highest taxpayer.

The business paid £181.6m in taxes in 2017-18, according to a study by the Sunday Times.

Denise, John and Peter Coates, the owners of Stoke firm bet365, were second on the list with a £156m tax bill.

Denise Coates

Sir James Dyson, who recently announced plans to move his company’s headquarters to Asia, was third on the top 50 list with £127.8m.

Mike Ashley, founder of Sports Direct and the owner of House of Fraser, paid £30.4m in taxes last year.

Mike Ashley

Manchester born Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of the Ineos group and the man who topped the Sunday Times rich list in 2018, was liable for £110.5m.

Jim Ratcliffe topped the Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of £21.05bn  leapfrogging his way from 18th place last year.

The 65-year-old lived in Failsworth in Oldham until the age of 10 when his family moved to East Yorkshire.

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of Easyjet, paid £20.7m, the Warburton baking family from Bolton were charged for £14.5m, and the Arora family, which is behind B&M Stores, were liable for £25.6m.

Robert Watts, who compiles the tax list, said: “It’s hard to deny that the Panama Papers, Paradise Papers and other high-profile scandals have given the impression that none of Britain’s wealthy elite contribute a penny to our public finances.

“But our inaugural Sunday Times tax list shows which of the super-rich are contributing many of millions of pounds a year.

“These are large sums of money – the size that do not merely pay for a nurse, but pay to build the hospital in which they work.”

David and Victoria Beckham, who the paper said paid £12.7m in tax due from their dividends and other levies in the accounts of their two principal companies, are a notable inclusion.

The couple were named on Companies House files as being linked to the finance firm Ingenious, which invested in films including Avatar, in a bid to secure tax relief.

It has previously been reported the former Manchester United and England footballer was overlooked for a knighthood because of this investment, which has been subjected to scrutiny by HMRC.

The top ten

1. Stephen Rubin and family – owner of the Pentland Group which owns Mitre, Speedo, Berghaus and SeaVees, and majority shareholder in JD Sports: £181.6m

2. Denise, John and Peter Coates – owners of gambling firm bet365: £156m

3. Sir James Dyson and family – owner of the household appliance manufacturer Dyson: £127.8m

4. Bruno Schroder and family – banker and non-executive board member of asset management company Schroder’s: £114.3m

5. Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Chairman and chief executive officer of Ineos chemicals group: £110.5m

6. The Weston family – Owners of retailers Selfridges and Primark and the Twinings drinks brand: £76m

7. Sir Chris Hohn – Hedge fund manager who established The Children’s Investment Fund Management: £64m

8. Sir Peter Wood – Founder of insurance company esure: £53.7m

9. James Benamor – Founder of loan brokers Richmond Group and Amigo: £52.2m

10. Baroness Howard de Walden and family – Property investors, mainly in Marylebone, central London: £44.1m

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