Queen asked government for help with heating bills

[burner1]

The Queen was refused a heating grant because Whitehall officials feared a public relations backlash, it has been reported.

A royal aide asked the government if the Queen was eligible for part of a £60m energy-saving fund in 2004, the Independent newspaper said.


As well as the Civil List, the monarchy receives grants for palace upkeep and travel

The aide was told grants were aimed at families on low incomes and a handout could result in "adverse publicity".

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman has declined to comment.

According to documents which were obtained by the Independent under the Freedom of Information Act, the Queen's deputy treasurer wrote to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, saying the cost of the Queen's gas and electricity bills - which had doubled in 2004 - stood at £1m a year and had become "untenable".

'Uneasy'

The Royal Household also complained that the £15m government grant to maintain the Queen's palaces was inadequate.

It said the grant request was to replace four combined heat and power units at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

In an apologetic e-mail to the Palace, the government said the handouts were aimed at schools, hospitals, councils and housing associations - for heating programmes to benefit families on low incomes.

The official also expressed concern that if Buckingham Palace were given money from the fund it would lead to "probable adverse press coverage".

The e-mail, which was written in August 2004, said: "I think this is where the Community Energy Funding is directed and ties in with most allocations going to community heating schemes run by local authorities, housing associations, universities etc.

"I also feel a bit uneasy about the probable adverse press coverage if the Palace were given a grant at the expense of say a hospital. Sorry this doesn't sound more positive."

>>Source<<

[4me2]

Only the most avid antiroyalists will not be worried about the date of 2004.

Welcome to 2010 , rather the last quarter of it.

Of all the shit going on the world, some BBC idiot with a clear agenda decides to give this non news a platform.

[4me2]

This news that should be interesting the public not bollox from 6 years ago.


HMRC letters target taxpayers with Swiss bank accounts


A clampdown on offshore tax havens was ordered by the G20 last year


Hundreds of wealthy UK taxpayers have been sent letters by HM Revenue & Customs over possible large-scale tax evasion, the BBC has learned.
It is understood HMRC has acquired a list of high net-worth individuals with accounts at the Swiss division of HSBC.
The list was stolen by an employee and passed to the taxman by the French authorities. The bank is not accused of any wrongdoing.
The campaign comes after the government announced a crackdown on tax avoidance.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander told the Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool it was hoped closing loopholes and ensuring wealthy people pay the full top rate of tax would generate an estimated £7bn a year by 2015 in additional income tax revenue.


Secrecy laws


A HMRC spokesman said: "The days of hiding money offshore to evade tax are now over."
Due to its secrecy laws, Switzerland has long attracted the very wealthy as a place to save their money.
This is changing in light of a worldwide clampdown on "offshore" tax havens ordered by the G20 last year.
It also follows similar efforts by Germany in 2008 against wealthy residents suspected of using banks in neighbouring Liechtenstein, another tax haven.
Germany's finance ministry paid an informant a reported 5 million euros (£4.2m) for a stolen computer disc containing the names of hundreds of clients at a wealth management firm.
In the HMRC case, a former staff member at HSBC's Swiss division stole highly sensitive data belonging to 15,000 high net-worth account holders earlier this year and fled to France.
The list was passed to the French authorities, who in turn handed the relevant details to HMRC.
HSBC fired the employee and the Swiss authorities are pursuing criminal action against him but cannot extradite him from France for legal reasons.
No more than 10% of the list of suspected tax evaders pertained to any one country.
HSBC said it had no comment to make on the matter.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11411840Tax evasion and avoidance cost the Treasury an estimated £14bn a year and successive governments have vowed to take action against it.
BBC business correspondent Joe Lynam says the letters sent out by the HMRC are known as Code of Practice 9 and advise the recipients that they are suspected of committing illegal tax evasion which may lead to a criminal conviction.

[pattikins]

Time to trade in the old boiler

[pattikins]

Only the most avid antiroyalists will not be worried about the date of 2004.

Welcome to 2010 , rather the last quarter of it.

Of all the shit going on the world, some BBC idiot with a clear agenda decides to give this non news a platform.

The BBC news report clearly states that it was reporting on an article written in the Independent - which is a far more damning of the Queen's attempts to claim funds that were ear-marked for people facing hardship & poverty.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...e-2088179.html

If an immoral act is buried for six years, does it automatically become inconsequential?

[blaggard]

The BBC news report clearly states that it was reporting on an article written in the Independent - which is a far more damning of the Queen's attempts to claim funds that were ear-marked for people facing hardship & poverty.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...e-2088179.html

If an immoral act is buried for six years, does it automatically become inconsequential?

No, just not particularly newsworthy!

[DelTrotter]

Queen asked government for help with heating bills

[tigger3]

It's only not actual 'news' because she was allowed to cover it up for 6 years. But it is new to us, so in my book we should be told the story, whether it is of interest is up to each of us to decide.

I'm not surprised any more about more corruption & fraud from the 'top' her governmental ministers screwed us over expenses long enough, the bankers cocked up big time but it's ok cos the government will bail them out & get us to pay for their mess, that doesn't mean I don't want to know about it though, just because we didn't get to find out that it hadn't happened this morning.

Tig3

[tigger3]

This news that should be interesting the public not bollox from 6 years ago.


HMRC letters target taxpayers with Swiss bank accounts


A clampdown on offshore tax havens was ordered by the G20 last year


Hundreds of wealthy UK taxpayers have been sent letters by HM Revenue & Customs over possible large-scale tax evasion, the BBC has learned.
It is understood HMRC has acquired a list of high net-worth individuals with accounts at the Swiss division of HSBC.
The list was stolen by an employee and passed to the taxman by the French authorities. The bank is not accused of any wrongdoing.
The campaign comes after the government announced a crackdown on tax avoidance.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander told the Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool it was hoped closing loopholes and ensuring wealthy people pay the full top rate of tax would generate an estimated £7bn a year by 2015 in additional income tax revenue.


Secrecy laws


A HMRC spokesman said: "The days of hiding money offshore to evade tax are now over."
Due to its secrecy laws, Switzerland has long attracted the very wealthy as a place to save their money.
This is changing in light of a worldwide clampdown on "offshore" tax havens ordered by the G20 last year.
It also follows similar efforts by Germany in 2008 against wealthy residents suspected of using banks in neighbouring Liechtenstein, another tax haven.
Germany's finance ministry paid an informant a reported 5 million euros (£4.2m) for a stolen computer disc containing the names of hundreds of clients at a wealth management firm.
In the HMRC case, a former staff member at HSBC's Swiss division stole highly sensitive data belonging to 15,000 high net-worth account holders earlier this year and fled to France.
The list was passed to the French authorities, who in turn handed the relevant details to HMRC.
HSBC fired the employee and the Swiss authorities are pursuing criminal action against him but cannot extradite him from France for legal reasons.
No more than 10% of the list of suspected tax evaders pertained to any one country.
HSBC said it had no comment to make on the matter.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11411840Tax evasion and avoidance cost the Treasury an estimated £14bn a year and successive governments have vowed to take action against it.
BBC business correspondent Joe Lynam says the letters sent out by the HMRC are known as Code of Practice 9 and advise the recipients that they are suspected of committing illegal tax evasion which may lead to a criminal conviction.

She's probably involved in this story too, aren't they a set of tossers!

Tig3