Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Aug 01, 2026

Can pay, won't pay: how Windsor became the tax-dodging capital of the UK

Can pay, won't pay: how Windsor became the tax-dodging capital of the UK

A new analysis of all 279 areas in the country shows the jolly nice Berkshire town has the highest concentration of tax avoiders

Name: Windsor.

Age: Yeah, quite old. There was almost certainly a settlement there before William the Conqueror showed up and built a castle in 1070.

Location: On the Thames in Berkshire, about 20 miles west of central London. And FYI, it’s twinned with Goslary in Lower Saxony in Germany and Neuilly-sur-Seine in France.

Yes, yes, very interesting, but this is a news-based column. Presumably there is a story? Yes, it’s the tax-dodging capital of the UK.

Really? Meaning what exactly? Of all the 279 areas in the UK, Windsor has the highest concentration of tax avoiders. Analysis carried out after freedom of information requests to HMRC has revealed that there were 23 disclosures per 100,000 people of unpaid tax in Windsor (and neighbouring Maidenhead).

How does that compare with the rest of the country? The average is seven per 100,000.

So Windsor is more than three times as dodgy as the average place? Tax-wise yes, I suppose so.

But in other ways, Windsor wouldn’t be described as dodgy at all, would it? Not at all – quite the opposite, it’s jolly nice.

It’s almost like the wealthiest people are ripping off everyone else. I suppose you could look at it that way.

What about other hotspots? St Albans (20 per 100,000), Guildford (17) and Tunbridge Wells (15) all do well.

Though I’m not sure you mean “well”. While tax avoidance is legal, it can be open to abuse. Hang on, though, Windsor … it’s ringing a bell; doesn’t someone famous live there? Quite a few actually. It is, as already mentioned, jolly nice.

No but really famous. You mentioned William I building a castle there, right? A timber one, motte and bailey, long gone.

But another one was built in its place? I’m thinking the bell that’s ringing might be coming from St George’s Chapel … Hey, this is not that kind of story. It’s not a royal one, OK?

The Crown is tax exempt though? True, but since 1993 the Queen and the Prince of Wales have voluntarily paid income tax.

What does the HM in HMRC stand for then? Isn’t she effectively paying herself? No.

But it was only after her castle burnt down in the annus horribilis and the following outcry that the taxpayer might have to foot the massive repair bill that she offered to pay tax, wasn’t it? Yes, but this isn’t about that!

Windsor, tax avoidance, that’s near enough. Go on then, do say: “Philip! We’ll do one’s return online this year, it gives us an extra couple of months.”

Don’t say: “Shall we just call it the Cayman Islands on Thames?”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Zuckerberg Opposes US Ban on Chinese AI Models and Warns of Regulatory Capture
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
Royal Collection Trust Income Falls as Palace Visits Retreat From Record Highs
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Ministers Examine Social-Care Levy as Burnham Seeks Funding Settlement
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes to Keep Serious Offenders in Prison
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
Another AI Genius Left the United States — and Silicon Valley Is Starting to Worry
Shein Reports $99mn Loss as Trade Barriers Test Low-Cost Model
CXMT Gains 466% in China’s Biggest IPO Since 2010
Amazon Seeks Approval for 5,105-Satellite Mobile Network
Burnham Puts School-to-Work Reform at Centre of Welfare Strategy
Burnham Rules Out Replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
Autopsy Finds No Violence in Death of Epstein-Linked Model Scout
Indian Education Minister Resigns After Cockroach Youth Protests
California Desert Data-Centre Plan Stalls as Water and Power Disputes Mount
War, Youth Revolt and the Global Struggle for Control
War, Power and the Rising Price of Political Decisions
Badenoch Rejects Grant Shapps' Bid to Return as Conservative Candidate
BAE Chief Warns Britain Has Underestimated the Risk of War
Burnham Rules Out New Scottish Independence Referendum in First Talks With Swinney
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Viral Video Raises Questions Over Twelve-Dollar Croissants at Manhattan Bakery
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
US Gasoline Returns to $4 as Renewed Iran Fighting Disrupts Oil Flows
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Orders 50% Tariffs on Selected Canadian Imports
×