Million pensioners now paying higher rate tax after frozen thresholds
New figures show the number of pensioners paying higher rate income tax has doubled to about one million, as frozen thresholds create a stealth tax.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
New figures show the number of pensioners paying higher rate income tax has more than doubled in five years to about one million. The Daily Express front page describes the rise as a "sneaky raid", saying the number doubled while tax thresholds remained frozen.
The surge follows the freezing of income tax thresholds in 2021. With pensions and other income rising, more pensioners have been dragged into the 40% and 45% bands. The policy has been described as a stealth tax. Campaigners for pensioners' rights are calling for the personal allowance to be unfrozen in next month's Budget.
On a late night news discussion, the figures were put into a broader argument about tax and welfare. One contributor said taxes were at their highest since the Second World War and that frozen thresholds were hitting people in every income bracket, not just pensioners. Another argued that pensioners who had saved and invested in pensions were being taxed on the same money twice, while state pensions were paid out of current spending rather than invested contributions.
The discussion also touched on means-testing pensioner benefits, the fairness of pensioners no longer paying national insurance after 66, and the cost of the triple lock. One contributor called the triple lock "indefensible and unsustainable". There was also an argument that younger workers had faced decades of intergenerational unfairness, with wages under pressure and housing costs high.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News |
|---|---|
| About one million pensioners now pay 40% or 45% tax, more than double the number five years ago. | |
| Pensioners' rights campaigners are calling for the personal allowance to be unfrozen in the next Budget. | |
| The increase in pensioners paying higher tax is attributed to the freezing of income tax thresholds in 2021, which has been called a stealth tax. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News led with the Daily Express's "sneaky raid" framing and treated the figures as evidence of a stealth tax. The discussion went beyond the figures into a robust argument about high taxes, pensioner privileges, means-testing benefits and the triple lock. The tone was opinionated and confrontational, with one speaker defending pensioners and another arguing for a broader tax base and cuts to spending.
- “sneaky raid sees the number double in five years as the threshold remains frozen”
- “it is a stealth tax it's not just hitting oap so it's hitting everybody”
- “the triple lock indefensible and unsustainable”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.