Will pay all taxes in UK, says Akshata Murty

Akshata Murty, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, has announced that she will pay UK taxes on all her income, including from India, to avoid the issue being a "distraction" for her husband Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

The 42-year-old entrepreneur has been at the centre of days of headlines after it emerged that her non-domiciled status meant she was not legally bound to pay taxes on her overseas income in the UK. Murty owns around 0.9 per cent of Infosys stake and therefore receives millions in dividends from the Indian software services major.

"My decision to pay UK tax on all my worldwide income will not change the fact that India remains the country of my birth, citizenship, parents' home and place of domicile. But I love the UK too," Murty twitted on Saturday.

"In my time here, I have invested in British businesses and supported British causes. My daughters are British. They are growing up in the UK. I am so proud to be here," she said.

In her lengthy message posted on Twitter, Murty noted that she had tried to keep her professional life and that of her husband's political career entirely separate and that her "longstanding shareholding" in Infosys is not just a financial investment but also testament to her father's work, "of which I am incredibly proud".

Earlier, in a statement on Friday, she had said: "In recent days, people have asked questions about my tax arrangements: to be clear, I have paid tax in this country on my UK income and international tax on my international income.

"This arrangement is entirely legal and how many non-domiciled people are taxed in the UK. But it has become clear that many do not feel it is compatible with my husband's role as Chancellor. I understand and appreciate the British sense of fairness and I do not wish my tax status to be a distraction for my husband or to affect my family."