# Badenoch eyes scrapping the death tax > Tory sources say inheritance tax could go entirely if Kemi Badenoch reaches No 10, paid for by cutting the welfare bill. - Title: Badenoch eyes scrapping the death tax · Dailymail | Shortify - Summary: Tory sources say inheritance tax could go entirely if Kemi Badenoch reaches No 10, paid for by cutting the welfare bill. Abolishing inheritance tax would… - Keywords: inheritance tax, kemi badenoch, conservatives, uk politics, tax, news, entertainment, Badenoch, eyes, scrapping, death, Dailymail - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16126701/Inheritance-tax-Kemi-wins-election-hated-funded-welfare-cuts.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-09-12T23:57:43+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: inheritance tax, kemi badenoch, conservatives, uk politics, tax, news, entertainment ## The death tax may go Party sources have told the Mail on Sunday that inheritance tax is likely to be abolished if Kemi Badenoch becomes Prime Minister. ## Only if the sums add up The sources attached one condition to the whole plan. Abolition happens only if the numbers work, not as an unfunded promise. > Abolition is high on Kemi's policy wish-list, but will only happen if we can make the sums add up ## A deliberate contrast The pitch is built against Labour's direction of travel, which has been a run of new and rising taxes since the 2024 election. ## Burnham's tourist tax Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week announced a £1.6billion tourist tax, a 5 per cent surcharge that would hit Britons holidaying at home. ## Tax rises since 2024 The tourist tax is the latest in a series of increases to tax and National Insurance that Labour has brought in since winning power. ## How the levy works now Inheritance tax is charged at 40 per cent on estates above the standard tax-free threshold of £325,000. ## The million pound exemption The exempt amount can climb to £1million when a main home is passed on and a married couple transfer their allowances to each other. ## A £9billion hole Scrapping the tax is estimated to cost around £9billion, which is the number any Tory plan has to answer for. ## Welfare pays for it The money would most likely come from cutting the spiralling welfare bill rather than from other tax rises. ## Birmingham in October The announcement could land at the Tory party conference in Birmingham next month, though sources insist no platform is fixed yet. > We have not decided our policy platform yet ## The 2007 playbook It echoes George Osborne's 2007 conference pledge to lift the threshold from £300,000 to £1million, a promise that moved the polls hard. ## Spooking an early election That 2007 surge pushed Gordon Brown into bottling a snap election. With the Tories unprepared for a vote, aides hope the same trick deters Burnham. ## She has done this before Last year Badenoch kept her plan to axe stamp duty secret until conference, a surprise credited with shoring up her leadership. ## Manufacturing momentum Senior figures in her office want conference to build a sense of momentum after a shadow ministerial reshuffle they judge a success. ## Already on her list Badenoch has said scrapping the death tax is high on her list, and last week revealed she commissioned internal research on whether it is affordable. > we are the party of fiscal responsibility ## Her shadow chancellor agrees Andrew Griffith has never hidden his dislike of the levy, naming it as the one tax he would scrap given the chance. > I was asked at my selection, what's the single tax, if you ever had a chance to scrap? And it's inheritance tax ## The Sweden example Four days before his promotion, Griffith said Britain can learn from Sweden, which abolished its own inheritance tax. ## The public is not keen An Adam Smith Institute poll found 45 per cent of Britons oppose inheritance tax while only 25 per cent support it as it stands. ## Punishing the savers The TaxPayers' Alliance frames it as a penalty on families who built something to pass on, and scrapping it as a signal that Britain rewards aspiration. > Inheritance tax is one of the most unfair and hated taxes on the books ## Small money, big damage Campaigners argue it raises under 1 per cent of the tax take while forcing panic sales of family firms, farms and homes, and taxing money once already taxed. > It raises less than 1 per cent of the total tax take. It forces panic sales of family businesses, farms and homes. ## Key takeaway Abolishing inheritance tax would cost about £9billion a year, and the Tories say it only happens if welfare cuts can cover it.