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 .

The core issue here is the fact that William and Charles are making money charging rent to the NHS , to cancer charities , to schools , charging the army and the navy.. in order words - taking millions for the very people they say they ‘ dedicate ‘ their lives to and who, more importantly , they have also taken billions from in the form of sovereign grants and coronations.

Is this point really too subtle for you to grasp @SavingTheBestTillLast - surely not . Though you have missed it each and every time you post .

Charles should be giving to the state , not bleeding it dry. It’s the fact that on top of the wealth we tax payers provide him with , he’s also ( secretly until now) charging millions to the very services we rely on

if workers in the city use off shore tax havens or legal tax avoidance measures they no, we dont get the tax

the op only seems intrigued with the royal family

If they are legal means then they are open to all of us . What is your point ?
The Duchys operate as corporations but do pay their dues

it was when you said this " I don’t know what you are talking about . City workers are subject to the law re tax ." when depending on how they use their accountants etc then no we dont get the tax

also what charles and william do is legal, but we dont all have the abillity to use the mechanics they use for the returns on investments they have made some times its just the way the businesses are,

@PlumHedgehog01
Surely you understand that it is because the Windsors are in a uniquely privileged position that their abuses are so egregious?
’the rich’ as you put it cannot ignore tha law , nor are they head of church nor are they festooned with medals as head of the armed forces , nor do lawyers mps and soldiers have to swear allegiance to the ‘rich

Come on- no one is that obtuse . ’

but thats the thing, we may not be impressed with the arrangements but it is all legal, however we want to spin it, and its hardly abuses , if they are using the system as it was setup all those years ago, it should be the system itself is the focus rather than the individuals that can use it

No again you have not grasped the point

The Duchys do not obey the law . It does not apply . That needs to be changed .

But the legal status of the Duchys is not the main scandal here however

The Windsors enjoy unique privileges re law and tax and get billions from the state

Instead of giving they take - they take from out most crucial tax payer funded institutions. They took secretly until this was uncovered . The queen no doubt did to

This is the scandal . You obviously aren’t bothered .But the vast majority of us are and it won’t be forgotten.

it seems what they do is legal due to crown immunity: but its not been secret , just found this univeristy paper :

"Over the last few years an increasing number of people have questioned the advantageous tax position enjoyed by the Duchy of Cornwall and Prince Charles as Duke of Cornwall. There has, for example, been a report by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts specifically devoted to the topic.2 The issue as far as this writer is concerned is that there has been insufficient understanding that the tax position of the Duchy and Duke of Cornwall flow from the fact that they are said to benefit from ‘Crown Immunity’. If they are not entitled to Crown Immunity then they cannot claim the tax exemptions which they presently enjoy."

Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review (2014)

https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=plcjr

another quote from the paper

"The Duchy argued that the: ‘prerogative rights of the Duchy are identical with those of the Crown’ and ‘That in fact Duchy lands are Crown lands and the same principles apply.’ The Board of the Inland Revenue acknowledged,"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Duchy-Cornwall-Still-Beyond-Law/dp/1739715020

They can legally ignore employment law too because they have a cosy chat with the PM once a week to whisper for their own special carve-outs from the law the rest of us have to obey or face punishment.

I’m not sure what your point is @PlumHedgehog01

We know the Duchys enjoy ambiguous legal status - that’s one of the issues raised in the investigation. But the more pertinent point raised was that some of the millions raked in were taken from schools , hospitals , charities . For example the king is head of the armed forces and William charges them to use Dartmoor and to berth navy ships . Do you see the point ?

Tbey are double charging the state the claim to be ‘dedicated to’ not paying the corporation tax they are due .

but if they handed over the lands etc can we be sure its any better for those services ?

the question i would be more intrigued with is why have they got the tax arragements the way they have, and yes i see your point they want to help x services yet they still take ££ from those services,

No one is talking about ‘seizing ‘ properties or anything at all to do with the ‘rich’

This scandal is unique to William and Charles .
Look up the crown estates . They are state owned . The Duchys were part of what is now the crown estates but were overlooked in 1760 when George handed it all over to the state ( he was bankrupt) . The state then paid the army etc .
The Duchys were worthless marshland at the time .
The Windsors have been filling their boots esp since 1900 as the value grew and using a medieval land grab as justification.
The Duchys should be folded into the crown estates ( all proceeds to the state ) . The Windsor scam has run on long enough

it seems no one wanted them when to quote "The Duchys were worthless marshland at the time ." so basically pickles, they had the option etc

Time for a review . They’ve had a good run. And can’t be trusted as we have seen

but then it seems like a power grab since when offered they didnt want them because of the value but now because they are worth ££ then suddenly omg how dare you etc

I suggest you read ‘And what do you do’ by Norman Baker.

A brilliant book - he is a former privy councillor.

Erm…but but…look over there! Meghan has no tights on, the skank! Way worse!

A perfect example :

"He questions why taxpayers are required to subsidize royal activities and upkeep when the family has access to significant financial resources through estates like the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall."

so you cannot have it both ways, they have the duchys or more tax payers ££ is used

Most old money families developed their fortune at the expense of others. Some through disgraceful means if you're going back as far as the 1700s. Should they have to give it to the state too?

its odd you never see people saying the public should pay more tax, only when they are sucessful and then they say x are richer they should,

seems people want more socialism than capitalism