Taxes on UK workers have risen at fastest rate in rich world, says OECD

Taxes on British workers rose by 2.45 percentage points last year but were still below the OECD average of 35.1%. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Taxes on workers in Britain rose at the fastest rate among the world’s richest economies last year, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

With Labour under pressure on the economy amid the Iran war, the OECD said a key measure of the total tax paid by workers and their employers rose by the most in the 38-member club of rich nations in 2025.