Britain's founders built their businesses here. The tax system is telling them to leave.
Britain's entrepreneurs create jobs, drive innovation and fuel economic growth. Yet a steady creep of tax rises and reductions in entrepreneurial reliefs is making it harder to build and scale a business in the UK.
Stop The Creep is a campaign calling on the Chancellor to reverse this trend and make Britain the most attractive place in the world for founders and business builders.
Read the open letter below and add your name to join the growing coalition of over 120 founders, business leaders and parliamentarians calling for a more pro-growth Britain.
Sir,
Britain's founders spend years taking risks, working all hours, forgoing salaries and creating jobs in the hope of one day creating a company that can pay for their retirement.
The odds are stacked against them.
Only four out of every 10 businesses in the UK sees their fifth birthday. And while most business owners dream of one day selling their business and retiring on the proceeds vanishingly few ever do.
There are five million registered companies in the UK, yet just 1,400 sold for more than £1m in 2024 according to the Office for National Statistics.
Yet the reward for the years of sacrifice for those few who make it to a big ticket sale is a tax bill that has nearly doubled in the last two years.
The last Chancellor told people she wanted to make the United Kingdom the most attractive place in the world for founders to start and scale a business. Yet the relentless creep of taxes on founders suggests otherwise. Employers National Insurance and Capital Gains Tax on dividends are up, Business Asset Disposal Relief, Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief are all down. It is death by a thousand cuts.
And while Britain tightens the screws on its wealth creators, competing nations are rolling out the red carpet. The United States offers zero tax on the first $10 million of a company sale. Cyprus, Portugal, the UAE and Singapore are all wooing Britain's founders with low-tax regimes and pro-growth regulations.
The Government's own advisers warned Britain risks becoming an incubator economy, world-class at creating businesses, unable to keep them.
However, all is not lost. We believe Britain remains one of the most entrepreneurial and dynamic countries on Earth. Andy Burnham has promised a pro-business government. Act now, and he can keep that promise, and Britain’s scale-up founders. Fail, and Britain will continue training entrepreneurs for export.
This is why the Stop the Creep campaign is calling on the Chancellor to stop the corrosive tax rises on Britain’s businesses.
Signed:
Andreas Adamides, CEO, Helm
Signatories
Andreas Adamides - CEO - Helm Luke Johnson - Chairman - Gail's Bakery Andrew Griffith MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Business & Trade - Conservatives Priti Patel MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs - Conservatives Marcel Khan - CEO - Franco Manca & The Real Greek Johnnie Boden - Founder - Boden Hussein Kanji - Founding Partner - Hoxton Ventures Duncan Cheatle - Founder - Helm Club Alex Fenton - Partner - Funding Bay Limited Christian Faes - Co-Founder - LendInvest Desmond Swayne MP - Conservative Rt Hon Esther McVey MP - Conservative Jack Rankin MP - Conservative Robert Colvile - Director - Centre for Policy Studies Kevin Hollinrake MP - Shadow Minister without Portfolio (Conservative Party Chair) - Conservative Rt Hon Sir Julian Smith KCB CBE - Conservative Chris Philp MP - Shadow Home Secretary - Conservatives Mark Slack - Co-Founder - CMR Surgical Nick Timothy MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice - Conservatives Sir Andrew Mitchell MP - Conservatives Lord Bridges of Headley MBE - Conservatives Dame Caroline Dinenage MP - Conservatives Gregory Stafford MP - Conservatives Jerome Mayhew MP - Conservatives Charlie Dewhirst MP - Conservatives Nigel Huddleston MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport - Conservatives Rebecca Smith MP - Conservatives Harriet Cross MP - Conservatives Dominic McGregor - Founder - Fearless Adventures Thomas Lock - Founder & Managing Director - The British Snack Co. Andrea Reynolds - Co-Founder & CEO - Swoop Funding Ed Leon Klinger - Co-Founder & CEO - Flock Antton Peña - Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer - Flock Teddie Levenfiche - Co-Founder - PerfectTed David Reed MP - Conservatives Ben Obese-Jecty MP - Conservatives Paul Taylor - Co-Founder & CEO - Thought Machine Barney Hussey-Yeo - Founder & CEO - Cleo AI Martin Wolstencroft - Chief Executive Officer - ARC Inspirations Nick Broom - Founder & CEO - PVL UK Mauricio Palacios-Serna - Managing Director - Serna FM Gamze Priest - Founder & CEO - Software Works For You James Allam - CEO - Amthal Group Limited Chris Wheatcroft - Director - Prosper and Enterprise Ltd Alan Jones - Founder & CEO - YEO Messaging Nick Gill - Co-Founder & CEO - The Global Living Company David Gormer - Founder - Ignition Accounting Limited Mark Colquhoun - Founder - Beyond Exit Stephen (Steve) Hickey - Founder & CEO - Digital Control Room Derek Bishop - Founder & Director - Culture Consultancy Gareth Broekmann - Founder & Managing Director - Charles Square Jordan Schlipf - CEO - Cowshed David Sherwood - Co-Founder & CEO - BibliU Andrew Schofield - Founder & CEO - Finelight Group Eugene Gallagher - Managing Director - Cobbles Lee Wheelan - CEO - Acuity Solutions Julien Slade - Founder & Director - Brookton Adrian Lomas - CEO - Elevate Leadership Andrew Hookway - Founder & Managing Director - Extech Cloud Michael Llewellyn - Director - LSC Properties Christopher Monery - Director - CN Foods Mark Mccormack - Co-CEO - Talking Tables Claudia Dreier-Poepperl - Chairman of the Board - Appvestor Ali Aydan - Founder & CEO - Dorix Stephen Goknel - Founder & Managing Director - Mello Sleep Rob Hamilton - Director - The Hyde Ventures Sean Lambert - Proprietor - Minerva Supported Living Freddie Archdale - Founder Success Manager - Helm Ben Barbanel - Chief Lending Officer - OakNorth Cat Kevern - MD - Electric Cat David Johnson - D/Gauge Ltd Jamie Hamer - Founder - Loxa Tom Carroll - Founder - OhSo Technical Sheyi Lisk-Carew - Founder - Oclas Group Sila Demirok - Founder - Iron Arrow Consulting Jill Tipping - Founder - Pavelka Limited Alan Carter - Founder - Life People Business Sanjith Mukund - Founder - JrnyOn Limited John Stapleton - Founder - The Stapleton Academy Edward Goodchild - Founder - Zendht Venture Studio Andrew Fishwick - CEO - Hestia Jennifer Dunman - Daisy First Aid Thomas Martin - Founder - Content Rocket Nigar Huseynzade - SIAR Neil Cameron - Founder - Sport Works James Townsend - Founder - Kontor Sarj Radia - Founder - CarePoint365 Marcus Cronan - Founder - AI Tappers Anthony Barone - Founder - StudioHawk Lisa Cluer - Founder - Inside Out Contracts Kieron Garlic - Founder - Present Communications Mrs Wallerson - Founder - Grow Pete Moores - Founder & Chief Problem Solver - PBM Consulting Ltd John Readman - Founder & CEO - Modo25 Amanda Thomson - Founder & CEO - Noughty Susie Ashfield - Founder - Speak2Impact Henrik Utvik - CEO - Vecs Shipping Amber Williamson - Founder - Digital Willow Ltd Fiona Ferrar - Founder - Kali Atman Bhavanta Max Pollock - Founder - Eightfold Judi Adrienne - Founder - Notebook International Paul Wilson - Director Ben Ludzker - Managing Director - Kays Medical Sarah Foord - Director - South West Motorhomes Sue Denton - Managing Director - First for Childcare Erin Sutcliff - Founder - Tin Trousers Limited Jed Thirkettle - Founder - JUCED Mark Eaton - Managing Director - People Puzzles Jonathan Patterson - Founder - JHP Electrical Paul McIntosh - Managing Director - Bridgehead International Agency Ltd Tarig El-Sheikh - Founder & CEO - Garden Games Ltd Sophie Brannon - Founder - MARO Digital Ann Grier - Founder - The Seed Group Mark Kirby - Founder - GoEngage Serge Santos - Founder - Funding Alternative Clive Bonny - Chairman - Strategic Management Partners Richard Little - Managing Director - Jenton Group Maziar Darvish - Founder & CEO - CognitionHub Andrew Stevens - Professional EOS Implementer - EOS Worldwide Richard Wassell - Founder - twentyretail Martin Ward - Founder - Silicon Square Limited Mark White - Managing Director - Langdon Customs Solutions Steven Selwood - Partner - RSM Steven Daniels - Founder - Clarior Futura Ltd Sarfraz Fayyaz - Founder - Biznav Chartered Accountants Paul Bojarski - Co-Founder & CEO - Sceenic Scott Ferrall - Managing Director - Matsco Solutions Graham Caleb - Founder - Delti Ltd Clive Shiret - Chairman - Garon Park CIC Stephen Driver - Founder & CEO - Jiva Materials Daniel Herbert - Founder - Springthink Lorenzo Jones - Managing Director - Ventec 100 Ltd Iain Colquhoun - Founder - ReconIQ Tim Graveney - CEO - Kibou Restaurants Jo Clarke - Founder - Toasted Crumpet Tony Hanley - Managing Director - FirePro UK Ltd Andrew Fleet - Founder - Critical Insights Ltd Rob Bridgman - Founder & CEO - EmergentOS Ed Walker - Founder - Fika Catering Co Ltd James Robson - Founder & CEO - FundOnion Peter Swanson - Managing Director - Intertronics Barbak Yamini - Founder - St Caspian Sam Clark - Co-Founder - Experience Travel Group David Emerson - Founder - Logistics Labs Stuart Wischhusen - CEO - Bpak Ltd Stacey Body - Founder - Aventur Christine Nicholson - Founder - Nicholson Hall Advisory Andrew Adams - Founder - Acme Aneta Mortlock - Founder - Megi Wellness Tyrell Simpson - Founder - Resiaction Staffordshire Ltd Adrian Cresswell - Director - Mammut Investments Ltd Michael Banister - Founder - Hunter Luxury Tony Matharu - Founder & Chairman - Integrity International Group (IIG) Colin Spiller - Managing Director - Zenis Ltd Marcus Walker - CEO - Meridian Industries Nick Thistleton - Co-Founder - Lucky Voice
