Anthony Joshua is thought to have officially declared himself a resident of the United Arab Emirates amid the ongoing conflict involving the USA, Israel and Iran.The Gulf state is facing nightly bombardment from Iranian suicide drones, with thousands of Britons scrambling to flee the region.The 36-year-old boxing star, who captured Olympic gold at London 2012 and holds both OBE and MBE honours, is said to have submitted paperwork on Friday formally changing his residential status.Documentation filed for his business interests, including Sparta Promotions Limited and 258 Investments Limited, reveals the Watford-born fighter’s decision to leave Britain, the Daily Mail reports.
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The filings, which legally require Joshua to declare his country of residence, show he has proceeded with the relocation even as thousands of Britons scramble to flee Dubai, with some understood to be paying up to £100,000 for private jet evacuations.The relocation could yield substantial tax savings for Joshua, whose business empire is valued at approximately £150million.Dubai’s absence of income tax makes it particularly attractive to high-net-worth individuals seeking to reduce their fiscal burden.Had he remained in Britain, Joshua would have faced UK tax obligations on dividend payments of £10.1million in 2024 and £6.3million the previous year.His promotional company Sparta Promotions generated profits exceeding £20million in 2024, resulting in a UK tax bill of £6.65million.It comes after Rachel Reeves has been warned that thousands more Britons could flee the country under the Labour Government.The chancellor has overseen a “millionaire exodus” due to a series of high-impact tax reforms aimed at the wealthy to address what she described as a £22billion fiscal “black hole”.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast an additional 50,000 people, mostly British citizens, could move away from the country per year.The fiscal watchdog said it now expects net migration to average at 235,000 through 2030, as opposed to the 295,000 that had been projected in November 2025.The Office for National Statistics revealed the numbers have already been larger than expected.Approximately 257,000 British nationals left the UK in the year ending December 2024, significantly up from the estimate of 77,000.It comes as UK growth was downgraded for this year. The OBR indicated the economy would grow by 1.1 per cent for 2026, down from the previous 1.4 per cent forecast in November.LATEST SPORT NEWSAnthony Joshua has emotional reunion with old coach as Briton returns to first ever gym boxing gymAnthony Joshua undergoes surgery as he continues to recover from horror crash that killed friendsAnthony Joshua fatal car crash driver that killed his two friends appears in court againHowever, the watchdog upgraded its forecasts for 2027 and 2028 from 1.5 per cent to 1.6 per cent.Joshua’s announcement coincided with former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and his wife, Kate, discussing their experience of living in Dubai whilst the city endures missile strikes.Joshua has maintained strong connections to Dubai over many years, utilising the city’s world-class sporting facilities for training camps, promotional activities and leisure time.His most memorable Dubai moment came in 2017 when he staged a sparring session on the helipad of the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel, a 90-foot platform perched 700 feet above the water.The heavyweight visited the emirate towards the end of last year for dinner with promoter Eddie Hearn, returning again in February for training alongside MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.Joshua has also invested in property elsewhere in the region, purchasing a 15,300 square foot penthouse known as the Sky Palace in Oman’s Sultan Haitham City for £1.2million in December.The Omani apartment, located approximately 300 miles from Dubai, is believed to be an investment rather than his intended permanent residence.Joshua’s departure places him among a growing cohort of affluent Britons establishing themselves overseas, joining Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou in Monaco, as well as Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins in Marbella.The tax regulations governing expatriates are intricate, with HMRC applying a Statutory Residence Test to borderline cases.Individuals spending 183 days or more annually in Britain are classified as UK tax residents, while those present for fewer than 16 days avoid residency status entirely.To maximise potential savings, Joshua may need to limit his time on British soil to just a fortnight each year.Meanwhile, analysts have suggested the ongoing attacks could trigger a decline in Dubai property values of up to 20 per cent.Our Standards:
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