The Super Rich are Richer Disabled People are Poorer.

By Sylvie. Rouhani, TAP Deputy Editor February 2026

In the last Autumn Budget, November 2025, the government ignored the calls from various MPs and organisations, TAP included, to “Tax Wealth, Not Poverty”. In 2026, the super-rich are richer, and disabled people are poorer than ever. Cut to health benefits are going ahead.

 Poor and Disabled UK Citizens are getting poorer.

Last November, Richard Burgon tabled the EDM 1725 campaign, encouraging MPs to sign the motion to tax wealth, not poverty. However, the Labour Party went ahead with their Autumn Budget, which included more cuts for long term disabled people.

The PIP “Four Point Rule” has been shelved, however from April 2026, new Universal Credit claimants, in the Work Capability for Work Related Activity group (LCWRA), will have their benefit cut in half, from £423.27 to £217.26. This change will push disabled individuals into further poverty and will punish them for not being able to work.

The aim is to encourage everyone on long term health benefit to go back to work, under the rhetoric that disabled people are being over-diagnosed and too many people are off work. Not understanding that cutting life supporting health benefits, is counterproductive to the aim of helping long-term disabled people back into work. It is also ignoring the reality of many individuals who can’t work, even if they wanted to.

In January 2026, Tom Burgess, TAP’s CEO, welcomed the JRF latest Poverty Report highlighting the high level in poverty in the UK, the current tax inequality, and calling for change. Regarding disabled people living in poverty, the JRF “UK Poverty 2026” Report states:

“In the latest data, there were seventeen million disabled people in the UK — that is, 1 in 4 people (24%) — and almost 4 in 10 families contained at least one person who was disabled. The poverty rate for disabled people was 28%, 8 percentage points higher than the rate for people who were not disabled. Half of all people who were disabled and living in poverty in the latest data had a long-term, limiting mental condition — around 2.4 million people. The poverty rate for this group was 34%, compared with 28% for people with a physical disability.”

The super rich are getting richer.

For the last two decades, workers’ wages have been frozen, while expenses have doubled. Ordinary working people have paid higher and higher tax rates than asset owners. Housing, being an investment tool rather than a basic necessity, have pushed increases in rent, whilst social and affordable housing have been underfunded. Cuts to the Welfare benefits have led to disabled people getting sicker, becoming homeless and more isolated than ever before, while the richest have been thriving more than ever before.

Oxfam has also recently published damming figures of wealth inequality, together with TAP’s partner, Tax Justice UK. “This year, (2026) the total wealth of the UK’s billionaires grew by 11bn, an average of £30.3 million a day. Meanwhile one in five people in the UK live in poverty.” 

The current financial crisis is caused by tax avoidance and the unfair UK tax system, not by the poor disabled people living in dire circumstances, for lack of support.

Financial resources need to be fairly distributed where it is most urgent: in free and adequate mental and physical health care, in local communities, in schools, in higher wages and affordable housing for all. It also means to create a compassionate society where the most vulnerable are fully supported, financially and, within a safe environment.

As well as wealth inequality, the other core causes of the ever-increasing gap between the richest and the poorest, are lack the lack of understanding and lack of empathy, towards disabled individuals. It is TAP’s mission is to create a fairer society.

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Our Role in Creating Change

We cannot wait for someone else to act. It’s time to demand better for the millions struggling in poverty—and for the millions more living one unexpected expense away from it.

·       Join us in advocating for a compassionate, fairer society. Here’s how you can help:

·       Speak Up: Contact your MP and demand investment in social care, living wages, and affordable housing.

·       Get Involved: Volunteer or donate to organisations like TAP that fight for systemic change.

·       Stay Informed: Follow TAP’s work and share their message to build awareness.

Together, we can create a society where no one is left behind. Let’s make compassion the cornerstone of our nation’s future.

February 2026 - Sylvie Rouhani

TAP Deputy Editor and Journalist