My letter to HMRC

There's no reason for the Treasury to stop collecting immigration data.

Following Neil O’Brien’s discovery that HMRC have stopped publishing data on tax contributions by nationality, I wrote to Financial Secretary to the Treasury Nigel Huddleston MP asking him to reverse this decision. To make well-informed policy-making decisions around immigration we need more data, not less!

My letter is below: if you want to write to Nigel too, you can do so at CEU.Enquiries@hmtreasury.gov.uk.

Dear Mr Huddleston

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent decision of your Department to cease collecting data on Income Tax, National Insurance contributions, Tax Credits and Child Benefit statistics for non-UK nationals.

Data collection plays a crucial role in understanding and identifying trends and patterns that inform policy development. Without accurate and up-to-date data, it becomes exceedingly difficult to make well-informed policy decisions.

Despite 13 years of promises to get immigration under control, numbers have continued to rise and, last year, inward migration into the UK reached 1.2M.

Given the scale of immigration and the pressure that this population increase places on our public services, it is vital we understand the tax contributions made by non-UK nationals. This would allow us to have a fair and balanced debate, leading to well-informed policy-making, rather than guesswork.

I am also concerned at process by which this decision appears to have been reached. In 2022 HMRC launched a consultation on ‘changes to HMRC statistics publications’, which included a proposal ‘to discontinue the annual Income Tax, NICs, tax credits and child benefit statistics for non-UK nationals release.

However, just two responses were received. This seems to provide little evidential basis on which to cease collection of such vital data – particularly given the rapid increase and shifting demographics of inward migration following post-Brexit changes in immigration policy.

I respectfully urge you to reconsider this decision and reinstate the collection of this data, demonstrating a commitment to evidence-based policymaking. Additionally, it will help foster transparency and accountability, ensuring that future debate around immigration policy are conducted with a full understanding of the facts.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Cllr Tom Jones.