Gary Stevenson, a former City trader turned wealth tax campaigner, has announced he will stop producing weekly videos on his popular YouTube channel, citing health concerns and burnout. Stevenson revealed the decision in an 18-minute video posted on social media, stating that creating weekly content had become increasingly difficult due to fatigue.

Stevenson gained prominence with his channel, Gary’s Economics, which ballooned to 1.64 million subscribers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Born in 1986 in east London, Stevenson initially made a name for himself through his memoir, Trading Game, which detailed his financial success as a Citibank employee. He later shifted focus to advocating for a 2% wealth tax on individuals with assets exceeding £10 million, arguing that such a tax could generate £24 billion annually for the Treasury.

As an anti-inequality campaigner, Stevenson linked growing wealth disparities to declining living standards and warned of the dangers posed by the accumulation of wealth among billionaires. His efforts brought wider public attention when he was featured in a Channel 4 documentary last month entitled How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson. The program followed his attempts to engage directly with those targeted by his proposed tax but received mixed reviews. Some critics, including tax lawyer Dan Neidle, dismissed his proposals as overly emotional and populist rather than pragmatic policy solutions. Others noted Stevenson's struggle to effectively debate opposing viewpoints outside his usual format of addressing followers directly.

Despite the criticism, discussions on a wealth tax have gained momentum in the United Kingdom. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has faced growing calls to increase taxes on the ultra-wealthy, with some studies estimating that taxing the 1,000 wealthiest UK households—each with over £100 million—could raise £10 billion. Last week, former footballer Gary Lineker was among 120 millionaires who signed an open letter urging Burnham to implement such measures, asserting that the country can afford it.

In a prior interview on the BBC's Newsnight, Stevenson highlighted the urgency of his campaign, warning that the concentration of wealth threatens the financial well-being of the working and middle classes, as well as government stability across Britain and other western countries.

While stepping back from weekly videos, Stevenson suggested he might return in other formats, such as podcasts or monthly updates. He emphasized the ongoing challenge of countering opposition from the very wealthiest individuals and the need for widespread public understanding of how inequality contributes to falling living standards.

Concluding his farewell message, Stevenson underlined that the fight for wealth redistribution would be a long-term effort and stressed the importance of shared responsibility in educating the public on these issues. He also indicated the necessity for a period of rest before potentially resuming his advocacy work.