Anthony Joshua, Haaland and Salah listed among top 100 biggest taxpayers in UK
By Sky News, February 1, 2026Anthony Joshua, JK Rowling and Mo Salah have been named among the UK’s 100 biggest taxpayers.
The billionaire brothers behind gambling giant Betfred topped the rankings of The Sunday Times Tax List 2026 for the first time, surpassing musicians, entrepreneurs, and sports stars.
Fred and Peter Done, who founded the Warrington-based business in 1967, paid an estimated Ksh61.6 billion in tax over the past year, according to the annual list.
Their tax bill climbed by almost half from Ksh42.1 billion a year earlier.
Financial trading entrepreneur Alex Gerko ranked second on the list with Ksh51 billion in tax, followed by hedge fund boss Chris Rokos, who paid Ksh50.8 billion.
Elsewhere, Harry Styles was among the new entries to the list, in 54th place, paying Ksh3.8 billion in tax. The former One Direction member-turned-solo artist is set to release his fourth studio album in March.
Billionaire businessman Mike Ashley ranked ninth, with a contribution of Ksh27 billion, while entrepreneur Sir James Dyson and Nik Storonsky, a co-founder of the payments firm Revolut, also featured.
Footballers join the tax ranks
Two footballers also joined the list for the first time, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland appearing in 72nd place with an estimated tax payment of Ksh2.6 billion and Liverpool’s Mo Salah believed to have a bill of Ksh2.2 billion, in 81st place. Haaland, 25, is the youngest person to appear on the tax list.
Harry Potter author Rowling ranked 36th on the list with a bill of Ksh 7.3 billion, and musician Ed Sheeran 64th, with a Ksh3.1 billion tax payment. Boxer Anthony Joshua ranked 100th, paying Ksh1.7 billion.
Wetherspoons founder Sir Tim Martin, 70, ranked eighth in the list with a personal contribution of Ksh30.7 billion.
The list showed that the top 100 taxpayers handed over a total of Ksh887 billion in tax, up from Ksh767 billion a year earlier.
Many on the list, including the Done brothers, paid more tax after changes to corporation tax rates and other taxes by the government in a bid to support higher welfare spending.
Robert Watts, who compiled the list, said:
“This is an increasingly diverse list, with Premier League footballers and world-famous pop stars lining up alongside aristocrats and business owners selling pies, pillows and baby milk. This year there’s been a big jump in the amount of tax we’ve identified – largely because of higher corporation tax rates.”
Six taxpayers feature on the list despite leaving the UK over the past year, amid reports of wealthy individuals moving to avoid higher taxes under Labour, or due to non-dom status being removed. These included Wren Kitchens founder Malcolm Healey and sports promoter Eddie Hearn.