Nigel Farage is making use of a private company in order to lower his tax liability on his appearances on GB News and other outside work, in a television star-style arrangement that has in recent years become less acceptable to major broadcasters.
According to the details, Farage channels money from his prime-time TV show into his own company. This allows him to pay only 25% corporation tax on profits rather than the standard 40% income tax rate, which also enables him to offset certain expenses.
Mr. Farage, the Clacton MP, and leader of the Reform UK party, has previously spoken out against individuals who attempt to dodge tax, labeling them as the “common enemy”. He has also been the subject of criticism for setting up a trust fund in an offshore tax haven.
Farage has argued that some forms of legal tax avoidance are permissible. Talking about it in 2014, he mentioned that nobody voluntarily pays more to HMRC than necessary, while still advocating for minimizing one’s tax bill within legal bounds.
GB News payments for Farage’s appearances are directly made to his company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, with which he is the director and sole shareholder. The company also manages other paid positions for Farage, such as a brand ambassador for gold bullion firms and international speaking engagements.
As Reform UK’s profile has grown, so too has the value of Farage’s company, now worth £2.6m, which has increased by £2m since 2021. Farage has refused to disclose his tax returns for 2023/24.
Though the practice is not barred by law, broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 have increasingly moved to stop this kind of tax dodging. HMRC has tightened the rules on off-payroll working (IR35) to halt tax evasion schemes of this sort.
The Parliamentary register of interests reveals that Farage has earned nearly £400,000 from GB News for about 190 hours’ work, indicating he earns more than £2,000 per hour from the news channel. Farage has additional income sources, including his Daily Telegraph column.
The spokesperson for Farage stated that his company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, has been operating for 15 years with diverse interests and is a functioning entity.
Despite this, Farage has been critical of similar tax practices by others, once stating that Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, “could not survive” a similar tax issue she faced.
The Reform party leader recently emphasized hard-right rhetoric during a US congressional hearing, discussing the influence of Islam in the UK as a “literal catastrophe” and praising Donald Trump’s stance on immigration.
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Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/05/nigel-farage-uses-private-company-to-pay-less-tax-on-gb-news-earnings
