richard tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, told reporters that Britons should try to pay the minimum tax legally possible as he faced fresh scrutiny over his property company’s tax arrangements; the comments were made at a Westminster press conference and follow a newspaper investigation into the use of a rare Reit status that gave a temporary corporation tax exemption; Labour chair Anna Turley has written to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) urging an urgent probe. (Filed 16 March 2026, 09: 00 ET. )
Key facts and immediate fallout
Labour has formally asked HMRC to examine whether the structures used by the property company linked to richard tice reduced the corporation tax the company paid by nearly £600, 000. The company in question gained a rare real estate investment trust (Reit) status that, as reported in the inquiry, exempted it from corporation tax for a period covering most of 2018 to 2021 while dividends were handled through other structures.
At the press conference, richard tice defended his position, rejecting the idea that people should “pay the absolute maximum tax possible” and saying he would encourage people to pay as little tax as legally possible. He used a tweet by journalist Gabriel Pogrund to argue that the article about his affairs was misleading and insisted the company had met the requirements of the scheme as applied to it.
Richard Tice’s statement and defence
Richard Tice said the country had entered a “new world” where there was a moral push for people to pay more than they were legally required to, warning that would be ruinous for the economy. He told reporters: “Yes, of course, that’s what you should do, ” when asked if he would encourage everyone to minimise their tax within the law. He also asked rhetorically, “How many friends and family do you have who voluntarily choose to pay more tax than they are legally obliged to do?”
richard tice additionally argued that Reit structures were accessible to a wide range of investors and denied that their use in his case was an illicit manoeuvre.
Immediate reactions from Labour and other actors
Anna Turley, chair of the Labour Party, wrote to HMRC saying the case was “a deeply troubling case which needs to be investigated with the utmost urgency” and posed detailed questions about whether all tax due had been paid and whether Reit rules had been applied properly. Labour’s letter asks HMRC to examine both the transactions and the technical tests that underpinned the firm’s Reit status.
Journalist Gabriel Pogrund highlighted elements of the story in a public post that was used by richard tice in his defence; the tweet restated that the use of the scheme did not appear to amount to criminal tax evasion while describing the arrangements as complex and unusual.
Quick context
The contention centres on Quidnet Reit Ltd and its claimed Reit status, a legal classification that can exempt companies from corporation tax while shifting tax obligations to shareholders dividends. The scrutiny focuses on whether the firm properly met the technical tests for that status during the 2018–2021 period and on how dividends were routed.
What happens next
Labour’s request places HMRC at the centre of the next phase: the authority can decide to open a formal inquiry or to take no further action. Richar d tice has made his public defence and the parties now await any statement or action from HMRC; any formal probe or clarification from the tax authority will shape whether further political or legal steps follow. This story will develop as HMRC responds to the letter and sets out whether it will open an investigation. (Filed 16 March 2026, 09: 00 ET. )
