Property Week into local authority commercial property investment. A freedom of information request sent to all 343 councils in England reveals that 11 have invested £820m of taxpayers’ money in tax haven-based property trusts, saving an estimated £27m in tax in doing so (p24). The practice raises huge ethical questions.
On the one hand, the councils are not doing anything illegal, and the tax savings make fiscal sense given the financial pressures that councils across the country are under. According to a 2020 report from the Institute for Government, council grants have been slashed by 38% in real terms over the past decade, while council spending power has plunged 18%.
Register for free to finish this article.
Sign up now for the following benefits:
Four FREE articles of your choice per month
Breaking news, comment and analysis from industry experts as it happens
Choose from our portfolio of email newsletters
To access this article
AXA IM Alts’ head of UK investment talks to Property Week about the future of the office and how the business has adapted to changing occupier demands at its new City of London tower 22 Bishopsgate.
When Property Week launched The Climate Crisis Challenge in partnership with UKGBC just over a year ago, we on the finance desk lauded the initiative, but warned that there was no agreed basis for validating and comparing green real estate debt – and the potential for a lot of greenwashing.
By clicking OK or continuing to use this site, you agree that we may collect and use your personal data and set
cookies to improve your experience and customise advertising. To see how, and to learn how to control cookies,
please read our Privacy Policy and
Cookie Policy. OK By clicking OK or continuing to use this site, you agree that we may collect and use your personal data and set
cookies to improve your experience and customise advertising. To see how, and to learn how to control cookies,
please read our Privacy Policy and
Cookie Policy.
Search