They’re not the only ones to do this. The Greens managed to make a manifesto commitment to restrict access to c-sections for…well, for no reason at all really. Mental. This isn’t about freedom of speech, but you can’t put people like this on a stage AND claim to be a serious party of government.
September 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
They’re not the only ones to do this. The Greens managed to make a manifesto commitment to restrict access to c-sections for…well, for no reason at all really. Mental. This isn’t about freedom of speech, but you can’t put people like this on a stage AND claim to be a serious party of government.
I would cite the reply given in Arkel v Pressdram
September 4, 2025 at 12:55 PM
I would cite the reply given in Arkel v Pressdram
Flags aren’t really our thing. People don’t avoid putting flags up because they will be viewed as racist/far-right. They just don’t do it because it’s not really what we do. Best thing is to quietly ignore this and wait for silly season to end.
August 26, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Flags aren’t really our thing. People don’t avoid putting flags up because they will be viewed as racist/far-right. They just don’t do it because it’s not really what we do. Best thing is to quietly ignore this and wait for silly season to end.
Why don’t we just rename it “estate gift tax” and leave everything else as is?
August 22, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Why don’t we just rename it “estate gift tax” and leave everything else as is?
I suspect a lot of that UK taxable income may not be reported. Only a small proportion of the population fill in a tax return…
August 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I suspect a lot of that UK taxable income may not be reported. Only a small proportion of the population fill in a tax return…
It is seen as a tax on death because people prefer to paint it that way, because it makes it sound mean and suits their own position. It’s bollocks.
August 21, 2025 at 10:39 PM
It is seen as a tax on death because people prefer to paint it that way, because it makes it sound mean and suits their own position. It’s bollocks.
No - the funds would accumulate offshore, and would pay income to beneficiaries at their marginal tax rate. That would be much more tax efficient for the beneficiaries. That’s just off the top of my head, but it shows how the tax charge could be deferred/mitigated significantly.
August 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
No - the funds would accumulate offshore, and would pay income to beneficiaries at their marginal tax rate. That would be much more tax efficient for the beneficiaries. That’s just off the top of my head, but it shows how the tax charge could be deferred/mitigated significantly.
So if I have a £10m estate, I can gift it under my will to an offshore entity that pays income to my kids at times when it is tax efficient for them. That is at best a deferral of the income tax charge you describe, and may well see it disappear altogether.
August 21, 2025 at 9:47 PM
So if I have a £10m estate, I can gift it under my will to an offshore entity that pays income to my kids at times when it is tax efficient for them. That is at best a deferral of the income tax charge you describe, and may well see it disappear altogether.
If you were to tax the gifts as income, there would also be the risk that the recipients would be non-resident, so you’d lose all the tax that way. Or people would gift the money to offshore recipients (eg trusts) to avoid the charge.
August 21, 2025 at 9:27 PM
If you were to tax the gifts as income, there would also be the risk that the recipients would be non-resident, so you’d lose all the tax that way. Or people would gift the money to offshore recipients (eg trusts) to avoid the charge.
The problem with this is that it gives up the beauty of IHT, which is that the government controls the probate process, so 100% of the tax base is captured.
August 21, 2025 at 9:26 PM
The problem with this is that it gives up the beauty of IHT, which is that the government controls the probate process, so 100% of the tax base is captured.
It. Hasn’t. Been. Taxed. Not in the vast majority of cases, anyway.
August 21, 2025 at 9:22 PM
It. Hasn’t. Been. Taxed. Not in the vast majority of cases, anyway.
No I misread your post
August 21, 2025 at 9:17 PM
No I misread your post
If you decide to borrow too much, that’s your own risk. Buying your own home puts you in control. That is the only social good of home ownership. It’s messed up in the UK the way we have decided that unearned, untaxed capital gains are a good thing and need to be protected at all costs.
August 21, 2025 at 9:07 PM
If you decide to borrow too much, that’s your own risk. Buying your own home puts you in control. That is the only social good of home ownership. It’s messed up in the UK the way we have decided that unearned, untaxed capital gains are a good thing and need to be protected at all costs.
There are benefits to owning a home beyond accumulating wealth in a tax efficient way, you know? Like being in control of your own home and reaping the benefits of investing it (ie you don’t get turfed out on a whim).
August 21, 2025 at 9:00 PM
There are benefits to owning a home beyond accumulating wealth in a tax efficient way, you know? Like being in control of your own home and reaping the benefits of investing it (ie you don’t get turfed out on a whim).
“Taxing wealth that has already been taxed” is that phrased we hear time and again. It isn’t true (as James says), and in any event, the tax is borne by the beneficiaries. They haven’t paid a dime in tax on that wealth.
August 21, 2025 at 8:57 PM
“Taxing wealth that has already been taxed” is that phrased we hear time and again. It isn’t true (as James says), and in any event, the tax is borne by the beneficiaries. They haven’t paid a dime in tax on that wealth.
Poor people receiving less and being taxed less. Rich people receiving more and being taxed more. Can you explain to me why this is unfair? 🤔
August 21, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Poor people receiving less and being taxed less. Rich people receiving more and being taxed more. Can you explain to me why this is unfair? 🤔
But then people would gift the money offshore and the onshore beneficiary would never be taxed. Far too easy to avoid. That’s why we have IHT. Probate is a convenient mechanism for the government to apply a charge. Just like buying property and SDLT or selling petrol and fuel duty.
August 21, 2025 at 8:54 PM
But then people would gift the money offshore and the onshore beneficiary would never be taxed. Far too easy to avoid. That’s why we have IHT. Probate is a convenient mechanism for the government to apply a charge. Just like buying property and SDLT or selling petrol and fuel duty.
The point would be having somewhere to live. Buying a house is not a speculative way to build dynastic wealth. It’s just owning a home. You may end up staffing the lot on care home fees anyway, you know…
August 21, 2025 at 8:52 PM
The point would be having somewhere to live. Buying a house is not a speculative way to build dynastic wealth. It’s just owning a home. You may end up staffing the lot on care home fees anyway, you know…
The discretionary trusts of the likes of the Duke of Westminster do pay IHT in the form of the periodic 6% charge every 10 years.
August 21, 2025 at 8:50 PM
The discretionary trusts of the likes of the Duke of Westminster do pay IHT in the form of the periodic 6% charge every 10 years.
If you were to tax the gifts received in the hands of the recipients, it would be lost if paid to non-resident recipients (as they aren’t taxable in the UK). IHT is not perfect, but it is efficient in terms of capturing the tax base involved (assets of UK domiciled persons).
August 21, 2025 at 8:48 PM
If you were to tax the gifts received in the hands of the recipients, it would be lost if paid to non-resident recipients (as they aren’t taxable in the UK). IHT is not perfect, but it is efficient in terms of capturing the tax base involved (assets of UK domiciled persons).
IHT is not a tax on “death” or “the dead” or “money that’s already been taxed”. It’s a tax on testamentary gifts, ie unearned income.
August 21, 2025 at 8:45 PM
IHT is not a tax on “death” or “the dead” or “money that’s already been taxed”. It’s a tax on testamentary gifts, ie unearned income.
When you say “paid by the estate”, that means it’s paid by the beneficiaries. The “estate” is a trust held on behalf of the beneficiaries. Dead people can’t pay tax. Because they’re dead and, in the eyes of the law, no longer people…
August 21, 2025 at 8:44 PM
When you say “paid by the estate”, that means it’s paid by the beneficiaries. The “estate” is a trust held on behalf of the beneficiaries. Dead people can’t pay tax. Because they’re dead and, in the eyes of the law, no longer people…
I have no idea what your first post means either, I’m afraid. You’re right that there are many ill-I formed opinions on IHT, and tax in general.
August 21, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I have no idea what your first post means either, I’m afraid. You’re right that there are many ill-I formed opinions on IHT, and tax in general.
