A petition calling for the tax-free Personal Allowance to be increased from £12,570 to £18,000 is closing in on 50,000 signatures, as support continues to grow among taxpayers frustrated by years of frozen tax thresholds.
The campaign, created by Mike Haynes, has now attracted 49,123 signatures, putting it just a few hundred names away from the latest milestone.
The petition argues that the Personal Allowance has remained frozen since 2021, while wages have continued to rise, dragging more workers into paying Income Tax through fiscal drag.
Campaigners say: "We want to keep some more of our own money."
They also warn that workers on the minimum wage could soon begin paying Income Tax as earnings increase while the tax-free threshold remains unchanged.
The petition, which can still be signed, 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."
Government has already responded
The petition passed the 10,000-signature threshold earlier this year, triggering an official Government response.
Ministers rejected the proposal, saying they have no plans to increase the Personal Allowance to £18,000.
In its response, the Government said: "The Government currently has no plans to increase the Personal Allowance to £18,000. Increasing the Personal Allowance to £18,000 would come at a significant fiscal cost of over £40 billion per year."
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What happens next?
The petition remains open until 30 September 2026.
If it reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for a debate in Parliament, although there is no guarantee that MPs will schedule one.
The campaign comes as the Personal Allowance remains frozen at £12,570 until 2031, a policy that has been widely criticised for increasing tax revenues by pulling more people into paying Income Tax without changing the headline tax rates.
With support continuing to grow, campaigners will now be hoping the petition can build enough momentum to reach the six-figure threshold before it closes at the end of September.
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