Tice £91,000 tax row is ‘minor administrative error’, party claims

Reform UK Labels Tice’s £91,000 Tax Dispute as Minor Oversight

Reform UK has defended Richard Tice, its deputy leader, stating that the recent controversy over tax payments by his property company amounts to a “minor administrative error.” According to the Sunday Times, Tice’s company, Quidnet REIT Limited, omitted £91,000 in tax prior to distributing dividends to him and his offshore trust based in Jersey. Despite this, Tice has described the issue as a “technicality,” asserting that HMRC ultimately collected the correct amount of tax owed.

Labour, however, has framed the situation as a “major scandal” that undermines Tice’s integrity and credibility. A Labour spokesperson emphasized the need for Tice to clarify whether his business adhered to tax laws and fully remitted its obligations. The party had previously requested HMRC to investigate Tice’s tax affairs after the Sunday Times revealed he had “avoided nearly £600,000 in corporation tax” through his property firm.

“This is a major scandal which goes to the heart of Richard Tice’s integrity and credibility. Reform cannot ignore it,” said the Labour spokesperson.

In a statement, a HMRC representative declined to confirm or deny ongoing investigations, noting they could not comment on specific individuals. Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, acknowledged the issue as “a minor administrative error” but dismissed it as a “non-story” during a Sky News interview. She explained that any underpayment by the company would have been offset by Tice’s personal income tax contributions.

Tice further elaborated on X, stating that the Sunday Times’s report highlighted that “overall HMRC received the correct amount of tax due.” He argued that the paper was effectively “complaining I paid too much tax rather than [my] company pay some tax on my behalf.” During a press conference in Westminster, Tice defended his company’s actions, calling it “a UK company paying UK tax in accordance with UK laws” and suggesting there was no “obligation” to pay the highest possible tax.

At the same event, Tice posed a rhetorical question to journalists: “How many friends of yours would voluntarily choose to pay more tax than they are legally obliged to do?” He contended that demanding the maximum tax would “therein lies the road to ruin for the UK as an economy.” His remarks underscored his belief that the tax arrangement was lawful and that the issue was more about procedural nuance than financial misconduct.