Tax receipts collected by HMRC continue to rise with lockdown restrictions entirely eased and financial support such as the VAT payment deferment policy stopped.

The total receipts for April to August 2021 for income tax, capital gains tax, National Insurance contributions (NIC), and apprenticeship levy sat at £154.8bn which is £25.2bn higher than in the same period a year earlier with receipts from PAYE, income tax and NICs reaching £139.1bn. This figure is £16.2bn higher than last year. The tax receipts for self-assessment sit at £13.6bn, which is a rise of £7.2bn from last year.

HMRC stated that PAYE, income tax, and NICs in August largely relate to July liabilities with the number of paid employees increasing by 2% which is a rise of 576,000 employees.