Clarkson: Miami thrives on no tax, unlike Britain

TL;DR

Clarkson Visits Miami: Jeremy Clarkson travels to Florida to see its tax-free boom and contrasts it with broken parts of America and Britain.
Billionaires Surge: Florida's billionaires rose 1,883% in 25 years due to no inheritance or state income tax, fueling economic growth.[[1]](https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/jeremy-clarkson-miami-florida-s6j3jjccg)
Tax Cuts Work: Clarkson argues low taxes create prosperity, jobs, and cleanliness, calling it proof against high-tax policies like Rachel Reeves's.

The story at a glance

Jeremy Clarkson visits Miami in Florida, praising its transformation into a gleaming, efficient hub driven by zero inheritance and state income taxes that have drawn hedge fund and bitcoin billionaires. He contrasts this with decaying Britain—bad roads, useless police, high taxes—and troubled US states like fentanyl-ravaged San Francisco. The column, published amid UK economic debates, uses his trip to argue tax cuts benefit everyone.[[1]](https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/jeremy-clarkson-miami-florida-s6j3jjccg)

Key points

Florida lacks inheritance tax and state income tax, attracting wealthy investors; billionaires there increased by 1,883% over 25 years, booming the economy.
Airport bureaucracy is minimal: Global Entry approval came instantly after "Love the farm show. You’re all set."
Miami Beach has endless white luxury apartments and hotels, constantly rebuilt; mostly empty at night with absentee owners employing staff to maintain them.
High-end restaurants thrive with dishes like tern in cucumber jus or skewered duck and lychee; supports jobs from pool men to Ferrari dealers.
Waiter's girlfriend drives a Ferrari Portofino from selling something online; immigrants run cash valet parking, charging $60 for a Land Rover Octa.
Streets stay spotless via constant slow-moving municipal litter trucks; heavy police presence, like nine squad cars for one broken-down Ferrari.
Autonomous shopping carts deliver goods freely; new soccer stadium offers rosé and caviar.

Details and context

Clarkson frames Florida as an exception to America's woes—zombie-like fentanyl users in San Francisco, theft in Minnesota, communist-run New York, overzealous policing elsewhere, and a president acting like Jesus. He sees it as Rachel Reeves's nightmare: proof that abolishing taxes lets money "slosh about nicely," creating work that prevents idleness or crime.

Luxury is absentee-driven, like Monte Carlo, with owners faking residency via estate agents flicking lights. No one has time for drugs amid the jobs boom. Cleanliness and order impress him—no mess despite low taxes, unlike Britain's badger-ravaged roads and soup-covered art.

Returning home feels grim: high taxes, poor services, cultural nonsense like harbor statues blocking boats, and a PM unsure what a woman is.

Key quotes

Airport official: “Love the farm show. You’re all set.”[[1]](https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/jeremy-clarkson-miami-florida-s6j3jjccg)
Valet parker on $60 fee: “That’s a Land Rover Octa. That’s expensive. You can afford it.”[[1]](https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/jeremy-clarkson-miami-florida-s6j3jjccg)

Why it matters

Florida's model shows how tax cuts can draw wealth, spark growth, and fund public services without visible strain, challenging high-tax orthodoxies in places like Britain. Readers see low taxes creating luxury jobs, clean streets, and innovation for locals and immigrants alike, not just the rich. Watch if UK policy shifts toward cuts or if Florida's billionaire influx sustains amid national US tensions.