Autumn Budget 2026: techUK Submission to HM Treasury

The first Budget of a new government provides a uniquely important opportunity for business to hear directly from the Chancellor regarding the government’s priorities for the economy and the measures they will take to achieve these.

The Autumn Budget 2026 is the first real test of business confidence in the incoming administration, and the first moment where trust between business and government could be either built or broken. In preparing this submission, techUK has engaged heavily with our over 1,100 member companies, representing a wide range of technologies, every nation and region of the UK, and businesses both big and small.

Our members’ primary ask for this Budget is simple: first and foremost, do no harm.

techUK calls on the government to commit to no additional business taxes for the remainder of this parliament. In recent years the tech sector - and the wider business community - has borne the costs of increases to employer NICs announced at Autumn Budget 2024, reforms to business rates multipliers announced at Autumn Budget 2025, as well as spiralling energy prices and inflation.

techUK polling from 2026 highlights that 56% of tech businesses say that the UK1s business environment - including the tax burden - makes it challenging to expand their business. More than a quarter of tech businesses raise concerns that the UK’s business environment has got worse in the past year, making it even harder for them to operate.

techUK’s members recognise the fiscal constraints facing the government - in order to be fiscally credible, the pledge of no additional taxes would need to be buttressed by a commitment to rein in day-to-day public spending, such as through reforms to welfare and the triple lock. This would go a long way towards restoring the confidence of the tech sector, prompting techUK’s members to increase spending, investment and hiring - thereby sowing the seeds of future economic growth.

Building on the above, techUK’s members consistently highlight the importance of stability and predictability to their business and investment plans. They need the certainty that long-term projects such as the Corporation Tax Roadmap 2024 and Industrial Strategy 2025 remain relevant. Ultimately, they need to know that when government says something, it is willing and able to see it through. Only through results and continued delivery will trust between government and business be rebuilt and renewed. This Budget is the first major opportunity to begin this work.

The only long-term solution to fixing the country’s fiscal foundations, improving public services and enhancing living standards is through economic growth. As a result, the government must also use this Budget to double down on the parts of the economy that drive growth in every nation and region of the UK.

In every area of the country, tech is vital to realising that growth. The UK tech sector is one of the UK's true modern success stories, with a market capitalisation of almost £1 trillion, employing over 2.5 million people across every UK nation and region, and a GVA of over £200 billion, in addition to unlocking growth and productivity improvements across other sectors of the economy.

Therefore, this Budget must also invest in six areas that will accelerate tech-enabled growth:

In summary, techUK’s members need this Budget to provide them with stability and targeted support. They need to know that government will not look to tax them further, while supporting them to invest, whether that is to hire more staff, upgrade their own networks and infrastructure, or launch new innovative products and services to the benefit of the whole economy.

Summary: techUK’s Submission at a Glance

Objective 5: Bolster the UK's sovereignty, security and long-term resilience

Next Steps

After the Budget, techUK will be hosting a members-only webinar to analyse the announcements and discuss what they mean for tech. To join this, please sign up here.

techUK's Policy and Public Affairs Programme activities

techUK helps our members understand, engage and influence the development of digital and tech policy in the UK and beyond. We support our members to understand some of the most complex and thorny policy questions that confront our sector. Visit the programme page here.