‘ Sir Lewis’ could hinge on Hamilton’s tax bills
PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has been told it would be “totally wrong” to deny Lewis Hamilton a knighthood because his “tax status has been misunderstood”.
Motorsport UK chairman David Richards and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Formula One have written to Johnson campaigning for Hamilton to be knighted in the New Year Honours.
Hamilton, who secured his record- equalling seventh world championship with a supreme victory at Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix, lives in Monaco.
But in the letters sent to Downing Street seen by the PA news agency, it is stated that Hamilton “is subject to withholding tax at source in nine countries” and “files tax returns in four of the nine countries”.
It is also claimed that HMRC’s UK Income Tax Liabilities Statistics, published in 2019, puts Hamilton among the top 5000 highest tax payers in the UK.
“It would be totally wrong for the UK to deny Lewis an award befitting his historic achievements because of where he chooses to live or work or because his tax status has been misunderstood,” Richards, 68, states in the letter.
“Even though Lewis is resident in Monaco ( Sir Jackie Stewart was based in Switzerland for many years whilst racing along with nearly every F1 driver).”
Richards and the F1 AllParty Parliamentary Group – whose letter is signed by former Labour cabinet minister Lord Hain, and Conservative MPs’ Greg Smith and James Sunderland – point to Hamilton’s charitable work and his push for equality and inclusivity in a sport in which he remains the sole black driver.
They also highlight the Hamilton Commission, which has been established by the new seven- time world champion, to improve the representation of black people in motor sport.
Richards adds: “Throughout Lewis’ journey to the top he has walked a lonely path as the only black driver in F1 and the Black Lives Matter movement has allowed him to speak candidly about his experience. He has used his voice, platform and influence to call for positive change.
“His story is a remarkable one of sheer application, dedication, sacrifice, supreme skill and determination to enter a sport where the odds were stacked immeasurably against him.
“Lewis is a global icon. A patriot of exemplary character who never misses an opportunity to drape himself in the Union Jack and to exult his proud Britishness.”