Single-lever policy simulation · taxation

Corporation tax rate change

0pp (25% main rate)+5pp (≈+£15bn/yr)10-year projection

This report models the effect of raising corporation tax from 0pp (25% main rate) to +5pp (≈+£15bn/yr) — with every other government policy left unchanged — on the public finances, projected over 10 years.

Bottom line

Improves Fiscal pressure, GDP strength and NHS staffing, with little downside in the model.

A single lever moved in isolation — which no real government does. Figures are modelled projections, not predictions. How the model works →

Direct effects

GDP strength

slight improvement

Why: Higher corporation tax discourages business investment and expansion

Effect develops over 1–2 years↯ net effect pulls the other way — see below

Political risk

slight improvement

Why: Corporation tax rate change has no short causal path to political risk in the model. Any movement you see is the tail end of long chains through shared composites (fiscal pressure, public satisfaction, political risk) and will be small.

Effect emerges within months↯ net effect pulls the other way — see below

Vacancy fill rate

negligible net effect

Why: Reduced business investment means fewer new jobs and slower hiring

Effect develops over 1–2 years

International standing

negligible net effect

Why: Corporation tax rate change has no short causal path to international standing in the model. Any movement you see is the tail end of long chains through shared composites (fiscal pressure, public satisfaction, political risk) and will be small.

Effect builds over 2–3 years

↯ Why some effects pull against the headline

  • The direct effect on GDP strength points one way, but knock-on effects outweigh it — the net 10-year result is an improvement. This tension is the point, not a glitch.
  • The direct effect on Political risk points one way, but knock-on effects outweigh it — the net 10-year result is an improvement. This tension is the point, not a glitch.

Knock-on effects

Reached indirectly, as the direct effects propagate through the system. Ordering reflects how the effect spreads, not a literal sequence in time.

Fiscal pressuremoderate
NHS staffingslight
Social care staffingslight
Rent pressureslight
House pricesslight
Housing supply gapslight
Model output — exact figures
Fiscal pressure6151 (-10)
GDP strength4546 (+1)
NHS staffing7372 (-1)
Social care staffing7069 (-1)
Rent pressure7271 (-1)
House prices6564 (-1)
Housing supply gap7574 (-1)
Political risk6059 (-1)

Index points on a 0–100 scale. Lower is better for pressure metrics; higher is better for outcomes like GDP and satisfaction.

Corporation tax rate change: 0pp (25% main rate) → +5pp (≈+£15bn/yr) · Britain 2036