Jeremy Corbyn has revealed he paid £48,079.80 in tax in 2016/17, in an attempt to pile pressure on Theresa May to reveal her own finances.
The Labour leader released his tax return on Friday afternoon which showed he received a total income of £136,762 – including MP’s salary, Leader’s pay, and pensions.
“Tax avoidance and evasion deprive our public services of tens of billions of pounds every year and will only be tackled if we have the political will to do it. We cannot expect the public to trust us as party leaders, if we are not prepared to be open and honest about our own tax arrangements,” he said.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell received a total income of £87,353 and paid £24,099.20 in tax.
“I I believe if you aspire to be in charge of the nation’s finances then you should be as open and transparent about your own income as possible,” he said.
“It is right that people in high office are subject to a high degree of scrutiny and I call on the Prime Minister and Chancellor to follow suit and publish their tax returns in full.”
McDonnell also revealed he receives a “small dividend on modest savings” in a credit union he helped to found in his Hayes and Harlington constituency.
May published her tax return in 2016 during the Tory leadership contest which showed she earned £112,426 from her salaries as an MP and home secretary and paid £40,023 in tax.
However she refused to do the same in 2017 after becoming prime minister. Downing Street said at the time there was “no longstanding convention” that required her to do so.