Based on the neuralgic reaction of some business leaders and politicians to Labour’s proposal to reintroduce the 50p tax rate, you might assume that the UK will become a pariah state if the measure is introduced. But how radical a move would it really be? For comparison, I’ve listed the top income tax rates (as of 2012) in the rest of the OECD below.
As the figures show, while a top rate of 50 per cent would be significantly higher than the average of 42.5 per cent it is far from the highest. Denmark, Sweden and Belgium (hardly socialist backwaters) are among the six countries with higher rates, while Austria and Japan also have a top rate of 50p.
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