Public should own all the Queen's palaces, say Fab

[FetchingHag]

[WilliamDaily] Public should own all the Queen's palaces, say Fabians



Public should own all the Queen's palaces, say Fabians
By Marie Woolf Chief Political Correspondent
06 June 2003


The Queen should be stripped of ownership of Crown property -
including Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace - and forced to pay
inheritance tax on all her private lands, an explosive report by the
Fabian Society will say next month.

The Queen's priceless collection of paintings, prints and furniture
and the royal parks should be given to the public, with most of the
Crown Estates, which include the Tower of London, Hampton Court and
Whitehall.

A year-long inquiry by the Fabian Society - to which the Royal Family
agreed to contribute - concluded that the Queen's personal wealth
should be restricted to her estates at Sandringham and Balmoral, her
shareholdings and her personal belongings. Castles, pubs and her
portfolio of commercial property - including buildings in Regent
Street - would be transferred to the state.

But the Queen would face a far higher tax bill under the proposals by
the Labour-affiliated think-tank.

The voluntary deal struck between the Queen and John Major, when he
was Prime Minister, to pay income tax should be scrapped, the Fabians
will say, and the Queen should have a legal duty to pay tax on the
same basis as any other citizen. That would include inheritance tax,
from which she is currently exempt, meaning that she did not have to
pay a levy on the estate of the Queen Mother.

The report is expected to outline plans to make property, land and
objects which the monarch has acquired solely because she or he is
head of state, the "property of the nation". It will call for an
audit of all royal wealth to establish exactly what the Queen and the
Prince of Wales own, and is expected to argue that the "blurring"
between the private and public aspects of the monarchy "is no longer
supportable for a modern head of state".

The public should be given greater access to the monarchy's property -
including the right to look round the public parts of all royal
palaces, to walk on royal land and to see the royal collection of
paintings, prints and tapestries, the Fabians say.

The report, now in its final draft form, is also expected to call for
the minor royals, such as the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, to have
a reduced role with many of the accoutrements of office, such as the
Royal train, whittled away. This would make the British monarchy less
extravagant and more like the less ostentatious royal families of
Europe.

The Fabians will not call for the abolition of the monarchy, but they
are likely to question the monarch's role as head of the Church of
England in 21st- century multicultural Britain.

They are also likely to say that a modern monarchy must be based less
on the principles of noblesse oblige and consider the public
citizens, rather than "subjects".

The model drawn up by the Fabians would severely reduce the paper
wealth of the monarchy. The Queen is worth an estimated ?1.7n,
including revenue from property, shareholdings and land.

A vast portfolio of property in the Crown Estate - including
Buckingham Palace - is owned by the monarchy but is paid for by the
taxpayer. Some parts of the estate, such as Windsor Castle, generate
revenue that goes back to the Treasury, but it costs millions of
pounds a year to keep up.

A "list" of royal assets should be drawn up by the Government,
similar to the audit of government property organised by Gordon Brown
when Labour came to power.

The conclusions of the report, which are to be finalised in the next
few weeks and discussed with members of the Royal Household, will be
welcomed by those MPs who have long called for curbs on the
monarchy's wealth.

"The rules that apply to the royal family are labyrinthine, created
centuries ago and are hopelessly out of date," said Norman Baker, MP
for Lewes. "They lack accountability and are based on psycho-feudal
arrangements."

[LouisFerdinand]

If Elizabeth II did pay inheritance on her private lands, would she be forced to pay an inheritance tax on jewels she inherited from her grandmothers, Queen Mary and the Countess of Strathmore?

[Curryong]

If the Queen (or any British monarch) was forced to pay death duties and inheritance tax I imagine it would be all encompassing. Private paintings, furniture, jewellery, objects d' art and property and estates etc would be liable, yes.

[Duch_Luver_4ever]

Earls and others have to pay it, why not set the tone and good example by the monarch paying it as well....

[royalanthropologist]

Good God, Republicans can be so tiresome sometimes. They should focus on running the government and keeping the country safe instead of poking their noses in the affairs of the monarch. The last thing Britain needs is a Scandinavian style monarchy with endless meaningless parties and social events. The British monarchy holds that property in trust for the nation and so far has kept it going for nearly 1000 years. What have Republicans ever maintained for that period of time? They destroy anything and everything they touch. The Fabian Society should instead focus its attentions on wasteful spending by the government and the rampant corruption in Parliament :notamused: