Drinkers, gamblers and smokers are more than paying their way, tax data compiled by the Financial Times shows. They have put £300bn into government coffers in the last 15 years, even before accounting for VAT on top.
We smoke and drink less than we once did, yet last year’s sin taxes totalled £22.1bn, nearly enough to meet the transport budget. From a tax perspective, gambling and wine are the UK’s fastest-growing transgressions.