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 .

True
But clearly that’s because no Government has voted for them to pay full tax
Wonder what Labour will do, if anything

They did used to pay tax and even inheritance tax .
Elizabeth did some deals around inheritance tax and only agreed to pay the small amount of income tax as a result ( the royals were also v unpopular at the time)

There are two Duchies, neither of which are owned by royals. The income benefits the said royal, who is charged with maintaining it.
One affords an income to the King of the day.
The other affords an income to The Prince of Wales of the day.

Under the very careful maintenance of Prince Charles, The Duchy of Cornwall became more sound in many ways.
Now William runs it. It pays tax, maintains it's buildings, invests wisely for the future including using sustainable energy sources; supports charities and sets up worth while programs to help people and environments. It is very capable of communication with tenants.

@user1492757084 this is the same Duchy that is illegally renting out many houses that do not meet minimum energy efficiency standards?

Assume you mean the old Estate Duty ? as I’m not aware they’ve ever paid IHT

@SavingTheBestTillLast

Your first statement: “If it’s their land, it’s their land”.

But should it be their land?

It’s bequeathed to them by inheritance, adjunct to the massive obscene wealth earns them privileges and influence that because of history we dare not change and challenge?

I don’t buy the reason that they attract tourism into Country. I feel the the Monarchy needs to be disbanded. It’s an extremely expensive relic and I guess I will be watching Despatches with interest as I missed it.

It’s my view in any case that the Monarchy want to protect “their” land,(eg I read somewhere that Highgrove, KC residence is set on 300 odd acres of land!), their influence, their exceptional privilege and really don’t care anything other than fleetingly about the people they supposedly represent.

Viva a la republique!

Yes you may be right.
I thought Queen Victoria paid a lot more in tax overall than the current lot but I’d need to check
I know that the Coburg Gotha /,windsor lot basically stopped paying much at all from the 1930s to the 1990s. The queen put her hand out after the Windsor fire and the blowback from the public taught her a lesson. Elizabeth oversaw the greatest ballooning of royal wealth throughout the last century. And she hid it well . In all senses of the phrase . Tupperware of cornflakes anyone ?

Sorry my post above was to @SavingTheBestTillLast

There are exemptions to the energy efficiency standards including a cost exemption which will likely come into play with non traditional buildings that need retrofitting. The Duchy is undertaking retrofit trials I seem to recall reading to work out best means of achieving these standards

I hope that all landlords communicate with tenants to rectify that all over the country. It takes time.
Is there any evidence that the Duchies' own a higher percentage of properties that fail to meet requirements?
Do the Duchies own buildings that are older and more difficult to retrofit quickly?

Oh so NOW the Duchys want to be treated like everyone else ?
Will that include following the law and paying all their taxes?

@myrtleWilson Did you watch the documentary exposing this? Please do not pretend this all applies to ancient historic buildings or unusual buildings. One in seven of the properties rented out does not meet legal minimum standards of energy efficiency. The surveyor looking around the properties was gobsmacked at the houses and said it was illegal for them to be let. These were ordinary properties.
So to try and claim they are paragons of energy efficiency is laughable.

These grifters have gotten away with paying taxes for decades and continue to do so because of the serf mentality the UK has. So no. There is nothing that can be done.

Yes I remember the look on his face! They were illegal

I agree with you in part
I think the serf mentality is going ( or dying off more accurately)
I suspect the Windsors are plundering what they can now . They know their days are numbered .

I hope you're right but it's not happening fast enough.

I'm 40 and am one of only two people I know who think the royal family are an absolute joke. I hope those in their 20's and 30's are starting to see how naked the emperor actually is.

We can become a republic like sensible countries did. How? Public pressure.

IHT 1975 ( ish ) Harold Wilson agreed to exempt the RF
before that it was Estate Duty that was very easy to get out of paying, hence the change to IHT
I have no idea how much or if at all the RF paid Estate Duty after it was introduced mid 1890s.

Thank you

Serf mentality is alive and well and nothing will change. Case in point how the death of the young man who was killed in New Orleans is being reported.
He's the stepson of the former nanny to William and Harry and William is apparently "shocked" because how he's feeling about his former nanny's stepson's death is what the nation needs to hear.
Feel I should mention the guy's name was Edward and I imagine his friends and family are devastated.

Hoping this is not too off topic but I do wonder about the advice from palace lackeys the RF get sometimes. I mean, who thought it was a good idea for the queen (coming from one of her many palaces in a Daimler) to turn up to Grenfell soon after it happened? No wonder she was heckled and had to be whisked away. Perhaps if their PR machine was directed more towards their finances rather ‘oh, aren’t they luvverly’ photos placed in the DM there might be more goodwill. Things could change very quickly for them, as it almost did in the nineties.

And also off topic but my previous post was deleted, and it was such a gentle little joke (compared with the vitriol I’ve seen on other threads).
Now, if I was a conspiracy theorist…😜

Oh @Tutorpuzzle was that your post re royal PR plants ?
I wondered why your post was deleted - I thought you had deleted it yourself for some reason !
I assume they have PR plants all over the place

But @ohdelay I assume it was the media reporting re William / and or William telling them what he’d like printed ?
I haven’t seen any of that - was it in a tabloid or the BBC?

That does not reflect reality though . We know the Windsors aren’t as popular as we are ‘told’ they are

@Tutorpuzzle another of your posts deleted