Can we do something about William and Charles profiting from the NHS etc ?

[Ukisgaslit]

If You haven’t seen it , the Times and Channel 4 Dispatches programme did some proper old fashioned investigative journalism and revealed how Charles and William via the Duchys are charging schools, the NHS and charities ( some they are patron of!) to use ‘their’ land.
It is not ‘their’ land - it is state land , as the crown estates are. The Duchys were overlooked in 1760 when George 111 handed his holdings over in return for annual handouts from the state - they were overlooked as they were worthless then.
They have made the Windsors billions since the mid 20th century and no corporation tax or capital gains tax paid. William recently refused to continue providing the little financial information that his father offered.

Aside from the obvious fact that the king is in a unique position, being above the law whether we like it or not ( though why is William treated as also above the law?) surely they are humiliated to be revealed as ripping off schools and charities and hospitals?

Where is the Windsor mea culpa and offer to repay with interest? Answer came there none.

So AIBU to expect MPs to please act and fold the Duchys into the crown estate ? The UK is in a weakened state and allowing this feudal greed to continue unchecked diminishes our society further .

I completely agree. Sadly they have such a stronghold in this country it will never happen.

To directly answer the OP, then yes, of course we can do something - getting rid of the Royal family would solve a lot of these issues

Will we ?

I wish we would.

I'm not sure. The Queen ended up having to pay taxes.

Thanks for the above responses . I know there are so many issues and scandals associated with the Windsors it’s hard to know where to start .
Lets start here. Fix the scandal of the Duchys.

The Windsors won’t .
MPs can and must reform this medieval money grab . If the Windsors want to continue as a monarchy I’d argue they should also want to reform this scandal. Maybe they’d rather fill their boots while they can and screw the NHS and cancer charities ?

It's one of the (few) things that makes me embarrassed to be British. Most Brits are not greedy or lazy like the RF. The contempt they have for 'their' people is awful.

Yes @Summerhillsquare exactly - it’s the contempt they have and the embarrassment that the abuses are allowed to continue

I want to keep the monarchy but agree that the scale of the Crown Estates should be smaller, and providing there is no-one else profiting from it instead, would agree with this change.

To be clear @LlynTegid the crown estates are state properly . I know it’s confusing - it’s is deliberately so I think.
The crown estates are managed by the state and all proceeds to the state . The Windsors do not own it - they are held ‘in right of the crown ‘ or in right of the state in other words . When the Windsors go , nothing changes.
The Duchys stand outside of this and I’m arguing that they should be included into crown estates and all the billions go to the state not the Windsors

I want to keep the monarchy.

I want our tax system to be fair.

I think we should go after the likes of Google and Amazon. And that the Royal Family should lead by example.

And I’m tired of the campaign by Russia, China and others to covertly interfere in our state and create discord here, to divert from what they are up to.

How much is being charged?

I completely agree, I think given the state of the NHS this is something that MPs should prioritise, we could all write to our MPs on this issue and see what support/response we get.

@StillTryingToKeepGoing

Exactly - the Windsors should lead by example !

That’s what I was getting at . I am not a monarchist but I want to focus on this one issue as it’s so stark . I think we can all agree but who is listening to us?

The money they are taking out of the NHS and other public services is the tip of a very large iceberg. A redistribution of the RFs total wealth could solve many of the country's problems overnight.

From DoC website :

Does the Duke or Duchy of Cornwall pay capital gains tax?
The Prince pays capital gains tax but not in respect of the Duchy of Cornwall because he does not receive the capital gains (as he is not entitled to the capital assets). Although the Duchy is exempt from capital gains tax, the Duchy’s capital gains have to be reinvested in the business and cannot be distributed.

And :

Does the Duchy pay corporation tax?

The Duchy of Cornwall estate is not a corporation and therefore not subject to Corporation tax. However, The Prince does pays income tax on the Duchy’s surplus. If the Duchy also paid corporation tax, the Prince would effectively be taxed twice on the same income. Only companies pay corporation tax; many other large organisations which are not companies pay income tax.

I agree @Lambington
and @soupfiend - millions taken from the NHS and charities but if it was £5 I’d still object on principle . And so should the Windsors .
As mentioned above - why aren’t they setting an example ? They have plenty to atone for . Start here

@StillTryingToKeepGoing

The cut and paste for the royal website doesn’t get us anywhere . It’s word salad .
MPs agree it’s a scandal and even 100 years ago were debating reforming it .
Can we get on with it ?

This is shocking tbh and no wonder a lot of folk hate the royals if they are doing this

I know the late queen "agreed" to pay tax (big of her) - was this just the queen personally, or does this principal now extend to the monarchy generally?

The NHS is involved in lots of shit deals across the country as far as I can tell. for example, I’m not sure whether PPP/PFI was a necessary evil or has worked in favour of NHS.

The only thing I would say is that it doesn’t feel right for the RF to also negotiate hard with them.

but I do think they play within the rules.

No they play within their own rules

The issue your raise is that the estate is profiting from having public services on its land. There is a much easy solution. To negotiate with the estate to charge peppercorn rent. Many landlords do this already. Usually to secure development rights but sometimes to ensure their development has proper amenities.

If the government brought the land into public ownership it wouldn’t hold on to it for very long. It will be divested. Probably into private hands but even NHS (who have an embarrassing property portfolio) will use it to make a return. The solution you propose won’t result in reduced costs for services.

Would it save the NHS money if all properties with a 'Royal' landlord were taken away, and they had to find alternative accommodation?

That's not quite true. She did a deal with them PM John Major that if he changed the law to mean they never had to pay inheritance tax, she would voluntarily pay income tax.

So actually they don't have to pay tax at all, and any income tax paid is a drop in the ocean compared to what inheritance tax would be.

The rest of us pay both, and not voluntarily. 😐