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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The available public record does not show John Healey rejecting calls to equalise capital gains tax (CGT) and income-tax rates. A July 2026 parliamentary answer gave no commitment either way, while a separate MP urged Healey not to support equalisation. That distinction matters: the headline claim is stronger than the evidence establishes.
What has Healey said about equalising the rates?
No direct statement from Healey rejecting equalisation appears in the available official record. On 13 July 2026, Lord Livermore answered a parliamentary question asking what plans the Government had, if any, to equalise CGT and income-tax rates. His answer described recent tax changes and said: “As with all taxes, the Government keeps the tax system under review, and decisions on tax policy are taken by the Chancellor at the budget.” It did not confirm or rule out equalisation. Read the parliamentary answer.
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Richard Fuller MP made the case against equalisation in advice addressed to Healey on 21 July 2026: “Number one: do not heed calls to equalise tax rates on wages with tax rates on capital gains. The latter involve greater risk, longer deferrals and are the basis of economic growth and more jobs.” Those are Fuller’s views, not Healey’s position. Fuller’s article therefore cannot substantiate a claim that Healey himself rejected the proposal.
Tax Policy Associates reported on 6 October 2026 that Healey would not give answers or signals that could fuel speculation about the Budget. That account concerns Budget speculation generally; it is not an official rejection of equalisation. Read the analysis.
What would equalising CGT and income tax mean?
At its narrowest, equalisation means matching the headline marginal rates charged on taxable capital gains to income-tax rates. But that phrase does not, by itself, specify a complete tax policy. A broader redesign could also change how gains are calculated, which reliefs apply, or how inflation and the timing of a disposal are treated. The parliamentary answer did not set out a government proposal or define what form equalisation would take.
Capital gains arise when someone disposes of an asset for more than its allowable cost; income tax generally applies to income such as wages. Matching headline rates would not make those tax bases identical. Fuller’s argument for different treatment rests on the risks and deferral he associates with investment gains, while supporters of equalisation may focus on the difference between the rates applied to income and gains. The available sources establish that the issue is being debated, not that a specific reform has been adopted.
What CGT rates apply in 2026?
HMRC’s guidance states that the main CGT rates from 6 April 2026 are 18% and 24%. The rate depends on the asset and the taxpayer’s taxable income. For a basic-rate taxpayer, taxable income and taxable gains are combined to determine how much of the gain falls within the unused basic-rate band: the portion within it is taxed at 18%, and the portion above it at 24%. Check HMRC’s current rate guidance.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute| Tax treatment | Rate or change | Scope and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Main CGT rates | 18% and 24% | HMRC’s rates for relevant gains from 6 April 2026; the applicable rate depends on the asset and taxpayer’s income. |
| Main rates before and after the 2024 change | 10%/20% to 18%/24% | For disposals from 30 October 2024 involving assets other than residential property and carried interest. |
| Residential-property rates | 18% and 24% | These rates were unchanged by the 2024 increase to the main rates for other assets. |
| Business Asset Disposal Relief and Investors’ Relief | 18% | Rate from 6 April 2026, as stated in HMRC’s policy note; qualifying conditions and relief rules still matter. |
| Employee Ownership Trust disposals | Relief reduced from 100% to 50% | Change described in the July 2026 parliamentary answer. |
The 2024 Budget brought the main rates for many non-residential assets into line with the residential-property rates then in force; it did not make all CGT rules equivalent to income tax. Rachel Reeves said in the Budget that the lower main rate would rise from 10% to 18% and the higher rate from 20% to 24%, while residential-property rates would remain 18% and 24%. HMRC’s policy note sets out the scope and timing of those changes. Read HMRC’s policy note; read the Budget speech.
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Trustees, personal representatives, carried interest and disposals qualifying for particular reliefs can have distinct rules. Someone working out tax on a real disposal should use the rules for the asset and tax year involved rather than treating the two headline rates as a complete calculation.
How large could the revenue effect be?
The July 2026 parliamentary answer said CGT currently raises around £14 billion a year and receipts are expected to more than double to around £35 billion by 2030–31. Those figures were presented in the answer as CGT receipts and an expectation; they were not an estimate of the revenue from equalising rates.
Business Matters reported a CenTax estimate that aligning CGT and income-tax rates could raise £19.7 billion by 2030. This is a CenTax estimate as reported by a secondary source, not an official forecast or settled revenue figure; the primary CenTax analysis behind it was not verified here. Read the report.
What to take from the Budget position
The July 2026 answer leaves tax policy under review and places decisions with the Chancellor at the Budget. It neither announces a plan to equalise CGT with income tax nor rules one out. Fuller has publicly advised against equalisation, and Tax Policy Associates described Healey as avoiding signals that could drive Budget speculation, but neither source establishes that Healey rejected the specific proposal.
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