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Closed Make the state pension tax exempt

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We want the government to make the state pension tax exempt and not impact the tax threshold.

We think it is wrong to tax the state pension.

17,129 signatures

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100,000

Petition progress

View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.

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    Original Government response

    Exempting the State Pension from income tax would be expensive and add complexity to the tax system.

    Exempting the State Pension from income tax would be expensive at a time when the Government has inherited a very challenging set of fiscal circumstances. Individuals earning above the higher rate threshold would benefit more than those with incomes below, and those earning below the Personal Allowance would not benefit at all.

    The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.

    HM Treasury

    This response was given on 24 July 2025. The Petitions Committee then requested a revised response, that more directly addressed the request of the petition.

  • Government responded to this petition

    Exempting the State Pension from income tax would be expensive and add complexity to the tax system.

    Read the response in full

    The government has no current plans to make the State Pension tax exempt. When it comes to taxes, social security benefits are treated differently depending on why they are paid. Generally, benefits that replace income, like the State Pension, are taxable.

    Exempting the State Pension from income tax would be expensive at a time when the Government has inherited a very challenging set of fiscal circumstances. Individuals earning above the higher rate threshold would benefit more than those with incomes below, and those earning below the Personal Allowance would not benefit at all.

    The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.

    HM Treasury

    This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/710017)

  • Related activity

    Petitions Committee requests a revised response from the Government

    The Petitions Committee (the group of MPs who oversee the petitions system) has considered the Government’s response to this petition. They felt the response did not respond directly to the request of the petition. They have therefore asked the Government to provide a revised response.

    When the Committee receives a revised response from the Government, we will publish this and share it with you.

  • Petition closed

  • Government will respond to this petition

    This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.

  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 7 August 2025.