Notice anything about the top 10 in the Sunday Times Tax List?
The headlines go to footballers and pop stars.
But the top 10 is dominated by business owners.
The 2026 list puts Fred and Peter Done (Betfred) at number one at £400.1m.
However, the real story isn’t “tax”.
It’s how wealth is created before the tax bill ever shows up.
What this means for business owners:
+ You don’t need a full exit to create substantial personal wealth.
+ Value creation is usually boring.
+ Tax is simply an outcome.
Here’s the top 10 list:
Betfred, Done family, £400.1m
Alex Gerko, £331.4m
Chris Rokos, £330m
Stephen Rubin, £325.6m
Bet365, Denise Coates / John Coates / Peter Coates, £227.1m
Hargreaves Lansdown, Peter Hargreaves, £210m
Home Bargains, Tom Morris, £209.1m
JD Wetherspoon, Tim Martin, £199.7m
Mike Ashley, £175.9m
Specsavers, Mary Perkins / Douglas Perkins, £121.7m
I’m running a live webinar session along with my other partners at Synergy on Tuesday 3 February at 5pm UK, covering the specific levers we use to increase enterprise value in 90 days.
Register here: lnkd.in/eXA3DJ9z
Are you building a business you can sell - or a business that creates massive wealth - even if you never sell?
Article: lnkd.in/eFGE5VPc
