About us

Fair Tax Foundation

Tax contributions are a key part of the positive social and economic impact made by business – helping the communities in which they operate to deliver valuable public services and to build the infrastructure that allows business to thrive.

Via our Fair Tax Mark accreditation scheme, we seek to encourage and recognise businesses that pay the right amount of corporate income tax at the right time and in the right place.

We believe that businesses that pay their taxes willingly, fairly and transparently should be celebrated and rewarded.

The focus of the Fair Tax Foundation’s consideration is corporate income tax. Businesses are subjected to many different types of tax, but corporation tax has an importance way beyond the revenues it raises. As argued by the Tax Justice Network: “It holds the whole tax system together. It curbs political and economic inequalities and helps rebalance distorted economies.”

How we work

The Fair Tax Foundation was launched in 2014, and was developed by a team of tax justice, corporate responsibility and ethical consumerism experts.

Our Fair Tax Mark accreditation scheme is the gold standard of responsible tax conduct, bridging the gap between corporate responsibility and the wider tax justice movement.

We work:

    • with technical experts and other stakeholders to outline the standards that businesses need to reach in order to become Fair Tax Mark accredited
    • with businesses of all sizes, from independent high street shops to large multinationals, to help them achieve those standards
      to raise public awareness of the Fair Tax Mark and accredited businesses in order to bring Fair Tax businesses and concerned consumers together
    • to provide bespoke research and advisory services in related areas

Our structure

The Fair Tax Foundation Limited operates as a not-for-profit social enterprise. It is registered in England as a Community Benefit Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (registration: 32308R).

You can learn more about our staff and board, and the Technical Advisory Group that helps to develop our assessment criteria.

Grant support

The majority of the Fair Tax Foundation’s income is derived from trading activity and the assessment and licensing of business to our Fair Tax Mark accreditation standards; however, grant funding has also made a significant contribution to our growth and impact.

In particular, we are deeply appreciative of the crucial support we have received from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the Joffe Charitable Trust, Friends Provident Foundation, Funding for Social Change, the Barrow Cadbury Trust, Luminate, Trust for London and Paracletos.

We believe accreditation standards, think tanks and public policy campaigns should be open and honest as to their sources of grant funding. We disclose this in a systematic fashion (taking account of Transparify guidance) alongside our annual Financial Statements.

Our investors

When we launched in 2014, we gave interested people the opportunity to become investor members. It’s thanks in large part to their support and contributions that the Fair Tax Foundation exists today. We’re not currently accepting new investors. If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on this, please be sure to join our mailing list.

Financial transparency

Our Financial Statements:

– 2022
– 2021
– 2020
– 2019
– 2018

You can also view our governing document.

Become Fair Tax Mark Accredited

Latest News

NATS lands Fair Tax Mark accreditation

NATS, formally National Air Traffic Services, has secured its first Fair Tax Mark accreditation, and joins the global movement of businesses committed to responsible tax conduct. The leading provider of air traffic control services in the UK, NATS often handles over 2.5 million flights and 250 million passengers each year. Operating beyond the UK, the business also offers services to …

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Independent verification helps build trust in responsible tax claims

The Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Monitor reported in 2023 that less than a third of the global public trust business leaders to ‘tell the truth’ (30%) or ‘generally behave in an ethical way’ (29%) - albeit trust levels vary widely across the 21 countries surveyed. Given this lack of trust, independent third-party verification is crucial for enhancing credibility of corporate claims …

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World map with abstract lines linking areas

Vast majority of UK public want Government to take action on economic crime in British Overseas Territories

Our friends at the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition (UKACC) have today released polling results on Britain's role in tackling economic crime in its offshore financial centres. It comes as British Overseas Territories* representatives arrive in London for a key meeting, which is set to include a discussion on public registers of beneficial ownership. At first glance it may not seem obvious …

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