Days left to back £18,000 HMRC tax-free personal allowance

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey flanked by members of the cabinet. If a petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it is considered for a debate in the house of commons. <i>(Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)</i>
Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey flanked by members of the cabinet. If a petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it is considered for a debate in the house of commons. (Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)
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A petition calling for the tax-free Personal Allowance to rise to £18,000 has passed 75,000 signatures, with just over a week left before it closes.

The petition, created by Mike Haynes, is calling for the amount people can earn before paying Income Tax to increase from the current £12,570.

The petition states: "If you are earning minimum wage then you may soon be paying tax because of fiscal drag. Some higher earners pay little or no tax due to clever use of accounting rules. We think this is so wrong."

The petition will close on September 30, 2026, and can still be signed here.

Will the law change if 100,000 people sign the petition?

If a petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it is considered for debate in Parliament, although reaching that figure does not guarantee a debate will take place.

The campaign argues that the Personal Allowance has been frozen since 2021 and says the freeze can result in more people being pulled into paying tax as wages increase.

The Government responded to the petition in May after it passed 10,000 signatures.

It said it currently has no plans to increase the Personal Allowance to £18,000, estimating that doing so would have a fiscal cost of more than £40 billion a year.

The Government also said an £18,000 allowance would benefit higher earners more than basic-rate taxpayers on average.

It said increasing the allowance would reduce tax receipts and therefore reduce the money available for public services.

The Government has confirmed that the Personal Allowance will remain at its current level as part of the decision to maintain personal tax thresholds through to the end of the decade, although this could change since Andy Burnham took over.


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What would trigger a personal allowance change?

The petition needs more signatures to reach the 100,000 threshold based on the latest figure shown on the official petition page.

Reaching 100,000 means the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament. The Petitions Committee then decides whether to schedule a debate.

The petition closes on September 30, giving supporters until the end of the month to reach the milestone.

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