Denise Coates: University of Sheffield graduate and family are Britain’s third biggest taxpayers

Denise Coates and her family were Britain’s third biggest taxpayers last year, handing £375.9m to the Treasury, new figures show.

The Sheffield University graduate’s huge bill stems from Bet365, which she owns with John and Peter Coates and had a turnover of £3.4bn in the year to March.

She is Britain's richest self-made woman and paid herself £220m last year, with a £50m dividend on top.

The top 100 taxpayers are revealed in this year’s Sunday Times Tax List. 

Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley is at number eight having paid £139.4m. The owner of Frasers Group is increasingly involved in Sheffield. He is opening a Frasers department store and huge Sports Direct at Meadowhall and is reportedly interested in buying the entire mall.

Other big names on the list are Ed Sheeran, JK Rowling, Sting and the Duke of Westminster.

In total, the top 100 were liable for a total of £5.2bn in tax according to the Sunday Times.

Denise Coates is frequently ranked as the highest-paid CEO in Britain. Her annual earnings are around £1m each working day before tax.

She has headed up Bet365 for two decades and is founder, CEO and main shareholder.

She attended Sheffield University in the 1980s where she was awarded a first class degree in econometrics - the application of statistical methods to economic data.

She is married to Richard Smith, who also works at Bet365. They are reported to have met at Sheffield University.