We recently started a petiton to try and change the Inheriyance law in England and Wales to match that of Scotland.
In England & Wales the Crown benefits from any intestacy where there
are no surviving descendants of whole or half blood uncles and aunts to
a deceased person. In Scotland the instacy law allows for descendants
of great-uncles and great-aunts to inherit from an intestate estate in
priority to Crown.
The Goverment Legal Dept, Bona Vacantia Division collects in over £20
million per annum from unclaimed intestate estates or when there are no
surviving kin according to England & Wales Intestacy Law. Scottish
Intestacy Law is far more generous, allowing more distant blood
relatives to claim on an intestacy before the Crown. As time progresses
families are getting smaller and the Crown stands to benefit as a result
of this. This Law can easily be changed and will benefit thousands of
people.
We havent had much traction on this yet, hence the appeal here. Would appreciate it immensely if people could spread the word.
Thanks
Comments
As a certain Labour Chancellor once said about Inheritance Tax.....it means you dislike your heirs more than the Government.
I'm surprised you think it's common knowledge.
Have I got this right then? You stand to gain professionally because you'll be getting the finders fees - it's a whole new source of business you. Ordinary people will be losing out because the state will no longer be picking up these inheritances.
If it's how it appears to me, I'd be much happier sticking to the status quo.
Scotland needs to step in line.
Some people don't think they are going to die soon or just don't get round to making a will or perhaps don't update it. I can think of one well known Charlton person where there was no will.
Maybe they just think it will go to my cousins so I don't need to bother. Those cousins, ie children of great uncles, might know the deceased but there would be no way for them to claim any of the estate under English law.
I knew what BDL does when he isn't shouting at people but it is a fair point that most others wouldn't.
Cousins are children of uncles or aunts aren't they ?
A great uncle is the uncle of your father or mother isn't it ?
I have two grandsons. My sister and brother are their great aunt and uncle. Half brothers and sisters (some of which I also have) are half great aunts and uncles.
It all gets quite complicated particularly with the amount of family break ups these days.
Best to make a will if at all possible.
If so, does anyone know the nearest Aston Martin dealership to Maidstone?
You're making the broad assumption that someone who doesn't leave a Will and in the situation you describe would want the money to go to a distant relative due to some distant blood relationship, or to people they probably have never met or heard of.
Surely if the person wanted it to go to them they'd have written a will?
Why stop there, what about Aunts and uncles and their descendants of your great, great (and repeat) grand parents until you find someone.
I admit i'm not close to this, but £20m out of the annual size of estates must be a minute amount that the state takes, IHT collected is over £5bn per annum and that only effects a tiny number of estates each year (less than 4%).
Thinking about this a bit more, just on my mums side my grandad was one of 8 my nan one of 11 (randy back then clearly!), I only ever met one of their siblings, my great Aunt Sarah (although they called her Millie for some reason), obviously she's long gone and likely her children have had children and so have their children had children, maybe even a generation after that. I've no idea who they are or if they even exist, so why would I want money to go to them?