Tax paid by high earners up 77% in a decade The income tax paid by high earners making £150,000 or more has increased by 77% in the last decade, with the total jumping from £34.5bn in the 2010/11 tax year to £60.9bn in 2019/20. The total tax take from basic rate taxpayers has fallen 5% over the same period, from £68.6bn to £64.9bn. Some 32% of all income tax is paid by those earning £150,000 a year or more, compared to 23% ten years ago.