HMRC Income tax personal allowance rise petition MP debate
The rise will now have to be considered by MPs after the petition, which was started by Alan David Frost, saying: "Raise the income tax personal allowance from £12570 to £20000. We think this would help low earners to get off benefits and allow pensioners a decent income.
"We think it is abhorrent to tax pensioners on their State Pension when it is over the personal allowance. We also think raising the personal allowance would lift many low earners out of benefits and inject more cash into the economy creating growth."
After receiving more than 200,000 signatures and a written response from the treasury, there were no changes in the Spring statement 2025, but MPs will now have to debate the issue.
Members of the public will be able to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.
Once a petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the Government responds, and if 100,000 people sign, a debate in Parliament is considered.
This petition currently has 247,793 signatures, and an update on the Parliament petitions website says "The Government has no plans to increase the Personal Allowance to £20,000. Increasing the Personal Allowance to £20,000 would come at a significant fiscal cost of many billions of pounds per annum.
"This would reduce tax receipts substantially, decreasing funds available for the UK's hospitals, schools, and other essential public services that we all rely on. It would also undermine the work the Chancellor has done to restore fiscal responsibility and economic stability, which are critical to getting our economy growing and keeping taxes, inflation, and mortgages as low as possible.
"The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way."
Signatures can still be added here.
What is the Personal Tax Allowance?
The standard Personal Allowance is £12,570, which is the amount of income you do not have to pay tax on.
It decreases if your income is over £100,000. For every £2 you earn over £100,000, you lose £1 of your tax-free Personal Allowance.
This amount has been frozen since 2021.
Some people are eligible for an increased personal allowance - the full details of that are listed here.
Recommended reading:
The last government froze the threshold until April 2028, rather than allowing it to rise with inflation and wage growth, meaning more people will go onto higher tax brackets.
If you're married or in a civil partnership, you may be able to claim Marriage Allowance to reduce your partner's tax if your income is less than the standard Personal Allowance.
If you do not claim Marriage Allowance and you or your partner were born before 6 April 1935, you may be able to claim Married Couple's Allowance.
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