Midlands’ top taxpayers revealed

Two notable Midlands business figures have appeared high up on the Sunday Times Tax List – a ranking of who pays the most tax in the UK.
Denise Coates, the founder and joint chief executive of Stoke-based Bet365, and family paid the most tax last year – a whopping £276m.
Meanwhile, the founder of Shirebrook-based Sports Direct, Mike Ashley, contributed £54.8 to HMRC coffers.
The list showed that the top 50 taxpayers in the UK were liable for £2.5bn last year. Other notable names in the list are author JK Rowling (£48.6m) and Wetherspoons owner Tim Martin (£29.9m).