Shipping: Taxation
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made a sector-specific assessment of the potential impact of changes to the non-domicile tax regime on the competitiveness of the maritime sector; whether (a) she (b) Treasury Ministers and (c) officials have discussed with representatives of the shipping industry the potential impact of the changes to the non-domicile tax regime on the likelihood of the relocation of shipowners or maritime investment from the UK; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the number of shipowners and the level of maritime investment on (i) the level of (A) tonnage tax revenues, (B) maritime employment and (ii) the UK’s position as a global shipping centre.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson
The Government is committed to addressing unfairness in the tax system, so that everyone who makes their home in the UK pays their taxes here.
That is why the Government removed the outdated concept of domicile status from the tax system from April 2025 and replaced it with a new internationally competitive residence-based regime, focused on attracting the best talent and investment to the UK.
Treasury Ministers regularly meet with a wide variety of representatives from different industries, and the Chancellor has been clear that she will continue to assess the regime to ensure it strikes the right balance. The Government set out its assessment of the impact of the changes here:
Information on all meetings held by Treasury Ministers can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-ministerial-overseas-travel-and-meetings
On the Maritime industry, the Government continues to support the sector, including by providing £448m of funding for maritime decarbonisation, updating the National Policy Statement for Ports, fostering an environment for port investment, backing maritime skills and seafarers’ rights.
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