Gove: Lawyer tax levy could subsidise legal aid
Proposed levy could generate £190m
TOP CITY LAW FIRMS could face a 1% levy on their turnover in order to raise millions for the justice system, The Times reports.
Uncomfortable with the court charge instated by predecessor Chris Grayling, justice secretary Michael Gove is considering scrapping the scheme in favour of charging the turnover on the country’s 100 largest firms.
Little detail has been made available, but in June Gove was widely quoted as saying “justice is not a marketplace, but a community” before urging lawyers to undertake more pro bono work.
The court charge – already proving difficult to enforce – is expected to pull in between £65m and £90m annually, while the mooted City lawyer tax is expected to boost the public purse somewhere in the order of £190m.
