The TaxPayers' Alliance

What The TaxPayers' Alliance does

The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) is a UK-based grassroots campaign organisation founded in 2004 by Matthew Elliott and Andrew Allum to advocate for lower taxes, greater government transparency, and an end to wasteful public spending. It is domiciled in England and Wales, operates as an independent non-profit with no parent company, and is funded almost entirely through individual donations, with over 3,000 active financial supporters, an average donation of approximately £497, and more than 25,000 donations received across its history. Its primary audience is UK taxpayers and the general public concerned about taxation levels, government waste, and local-authority accountability.

TPA's core products are research publications and advocacy tools rather than technology. Flagship outputs include the annual Town Hall Rich List (published every year since 2007, tracking UK local-authority employees earning over £100,000), Tax Briefing Notes covering stamp duty, fuel duty, beer duty and other UK taxes, the TaxPayers' Alliance Podcast (currently in Season 2 in 2026), and an OVL cost analysis campaign. Distribution is entirely digital: owned website, email/newsletter portal, press releases, podcast, and self-serve campaign tools including petition signing and letter-writing to MPs. The organisation is affiliated with the Atlas Network, a global free-market think-tank network, and won the 2020 Templeton Freedom Award.

The business model is donations-driven with no product sales or fee-for-service revenue. Go-to-market is community-led: content and campaigns attract supporters, a subset convert to donors, and donor funds sustain ongoing research and campaign operations. Leadership comprises Chief Executive John O'Connell (internally promoted, in role since August 2016) and Chairman Rory McGregor, with a small senior team covering research, campaigns, media and data analytics. The organisation does not receive taxpayer funding and does not publish financial statements.

Name

The TaxPayers' Alliance

Legal name

TaxPayers' Alliance

Website

https://taxpayersalliance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The TaxPayers' Alliance is a UK grassroots campaign organisation founded in 2004 that advocates for lower taxes, government transparency, and reduced public spending. It funds itself through individual donations and produces research, podcasts, and campaign tools aimed at UK taxpayers and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Advocacy & Research

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN)

Keywords

• Tax policy advocacy
• Government spending research
• Fiscal transparency research
• Public sector accountability
• Grassroots policy campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization is funded primarily through individual donations from supporters. They have over 3,000 supporters who have given them money, with tens of thousands of others who support without donating. In their history, they've received over 25,000 individual donations. The average donation value is currently £497.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The TaxPayers' Alliance is a UK grassroots campaign organization that produces policy research, briefings, podcasts, and advocacy campaigns focused on lower taxes, government spending transparency, and the elimination of wasteful public expenditure. Its core outputs are the annual Town Hall Rich List (a comprehensive database of high-earning local authority employees), tax briefing notes on specific duties and levies, a podcast series, and online petition/letter-writing campaign tools targeting MPs and councils. The organization is funded entirely through individual donations rather than product sales.

Product overview

The TaxPayers' Alliance is a UK-based grassroots campaigning organization offering research publications, policy analysis, and advocacy tools focused on tax reform and government transparency. Its core offerings include the annual Town Hall Rich List research report, tax briefing notes covering various UK taxes, the TaxPayers' Alliance Podcast series, and campaign tools including petition and letter-writing platforms. The organization publishes research on topics including local government spending, fiscal devolution, energy quangos, and economic analysis of tax policies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Town Hall Rich List Annual research publication tracking UK local authority employees receiving over £100,000 in total remuneration, providing council-by-council breakdowns of executive pay deals. First published in 2007 and updated annually; the 2026 edition identified 4,733 council employees earning over £100,000 with 1,255 earning over £150,000.
• TaxPayers' Alliance Podcast Recurring podcast series discussing taxes, government spending, public services, and political commentary, featuring interviews with experts and TPA staff. Currently in Season 2 with episodes covering fuel duty, beer duty, net zero costs, economic policy, and immigration.
• Tax Briefing Notes Detailed policy briefing notes on specific UK tax topics including stamp duty land tax, beer duty, fuel duty, environmental quangos, and other taxation issues affecting UK taxpayers.
• Campaign Tools Online petition and letter-writing tools enabling supporters to contact MPs and local councils on tax and spending campaigns including fuel duty hikes, holiday taxes (Conwy and Anglesey), and family car tax.
• OVL Cost Analysis Standalone research analysis of potential economic damage from the Overnight Visitor Levy (OVL) to England and regional tourism economies, including regional breakdown data and estimated £13 billion loss to UK economy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Town Hall Rich List 2026: 4,733 council employees receiving over £100,000, with 1,255 over £150,000 - records showing 21% increase year-on-year
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Atlas NetworkcoreOthersThe TaxPayers' Alliance is a member of the Atlas Network, a global network of free-market think tanks. The Templeton Freedom Award was received from Atlas Network for their 2020 Tax Commission report.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Tax Foundation: US-based nonpartisan tax policy research organization. Directly comparable niche (tax policy analysis and public education) but operates across the Atlantic rather than competing in the UK market.

Direct peers

• Adam Smith Institute: UK free-market think tank focused on tax reform, deregulation, and economic liberty. Direct competitor to TPA in the same ideological and policy space with overlapping research outputs and donor base.
• Policy Exchange: UK's highest-profile centre-right think tank producing research across economic, social, and foreign policy. Comparable as a right-of-center policy organization influencing UK government, with broader research scope than TPA.
• Centre for Policy Studies: Conservative-leaning UK think tank founded in 1974 focusing on economic policy, taxation, and public sector reform. Comparable on policy domain, UK-centric focus, and ideological positioning to TPA.
• Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA): The UK's leading free-market classical liberal think tank. Directly comparable to TPA as a UK-based, right-leaning policy organization promoting lower taxes, free markets, and limited government — operating in the same donor and media ecosystem.
• Civitas: UK centre-right think tank producing independent research on policy issues including taxation and public services. Smaller-scale direct peer operating in the same UK policy research market as TPA.
• Social Market Foundation: UK centrist think tank producing economic and public policy research. Functionally comparable as a UK policy research and advocacy organization, though positioned across the political spectrum from TPA.

Broad incumbents

• New Economics Foundation: UK left-leaning think tank focused on economic inequality, tax justice, and public services. Operates in the same UK think tank ecosystem as TPA but from the opposing ideological vantage point on tax policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/the_tpa
• Facebookfacebook.com/taxpayersalliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-tpa-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The TaxPayers' Alliance