Addison Lee founder ordered to pay £20.5 million after domicile tax ruling

A London tax chamber ruled that Sir John Griffin, the 84-year-old founder of Addison Lee, owes £20.5 million in additional UK tax after dismissing his attempt to retain Irish non-domiciled status. Griffin, born in Ireland and relocated to London at age nine, argued that his emotional attachment made him Irish for tax purposes. HM Revenue and Customs countered that he had settled in England by 2013, raising a family in Hertfordshire and establishing his taxi empire there.

Tribunal judge Michaela Snelders and member Gill Hunter concluded that his brief stays in Ireland did not demonstrate an intention to relocate permanently. The decision also noted that his domicile would have shifted when his father’s domicile changed to England before Griffin turned 21. The ruling follows the abolition of the non-dom status in 2025 and comes after Griffin sold Addison Lee to Carlyle Group in 2013 for about £300 million. He did not attend the hearing due to medical reasons.