this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2024
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King Charles to receive huge pay rise from UK taxpayers (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 8 months ago by Fudoshin@feddit.uk to c/uk_politics@feddit.uk
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[–] Tweak@feddit.uk 31 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The modernisation of the royal palace has long been used to justify increases in the sovereign grant, which was just £31m when it was first introduced in 2012-2013. Under a “golden ratchet” clause in the Sovereign Grant Act, the amount of money handed to the monarch can never fall, even if the crown estate’s profits decrease.

A Treasury spokesperson said: “The grant has been largely unchanged since 2020 and this temporary increase covers the remainder of the Buckingham Palace refurbishment. We will review the grant in 2026, expecting to bring it back down in 2027.”

How can they bring it down in 2027 when there's this golden ratchet clause that says it never goes down?

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

As I understand it. The clause is based on as a % of the income from the crown estates.

And as all income from the estates has been given to the government since Charles III. In exchange for the sovereign grant. With the fact that that grant is used to maintain the palaces.

It not being below 12% of the money earned from the land. Is hardly an onerous rule.

How many other land owning corperations pay a maximum of 88% tax and survive. Would be very different if the government was expected to fund maintainance from the non grant part.

[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@beehaw.org 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

it's worth noting that the crown estate is exempt from a lot of maintainence requirements normally imposed by law on normal landlords.

As i found out when the freehold for my flats building was in danger of falling into the crown estate portfolio.

How many other land owning corporations arent required to maintain the buildings they lease out?

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 2 points 8 months ago

Nods lots of dodgy stuff. But that is why I think it is very important to be accurate.

When folks refer to it as public land. And tax payer money. They are helping the royal family hide 8its power and wealth.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 26 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Oh good, I was worried he might end up destitute. Living in only two or three of his castles, like a tramp.

[–] steeznson@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

My liege! take my money ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

[–] baggins@beehaw.org 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

He has got holes in his socks, so he must be getting a bit short of money.

And then there was that Coronation to pay for, oh wait...

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 8 months ago

Coronation paid for itself

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

both parties rage against migrants and immigrants while agreeing on giving a guy whose family plundered and colonised every bit of land they could find more money....

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 24 points 8 months ago

Stripping them of all of "their" assets, and redistribute them to the actual people they belong to (definitely not just the citizens of the UK) is far too long overdue. It's about time these leeches were scared to go to sleep because they fear torches and pitchforks in their fucking windows.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 13 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

Lets remember where the royal grant comes from.

Approx 75% of crown estates income goes to the government. Currently 25% is paid back as the Royal grant. That grant is, among other things, used to maintain the Crown estates.

So King Charles pays lower taxes on the Crown estates. Is a way more accurate title then recieves pay rise from tax payers.

This arrangement has been law since Charles III went bancrupt fighting the Americans. He seeded all crown estates profit to the government. In exchange for the royal grant.

While folks may argue as to right to the land. They have zero legal argument to claim it is public property at the moment. And no other Statutory corporation or any other corporate structure. Pays 75% of its income in taxes.

[–] thehatfox@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago (2 children)

This arrangement has been law since Charles III went bancrupt fighting the Americans.

I'm guessing you meant George III, unless there was a fairly major breakdown of Anglo-American relations recently that I missed 😂

[–] steeznson@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

I always thought George III was under utilised in rap lyrics. Bars like, "I make mad money, call me George the 3rd" write themselves.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 2 points 8 months ago

Yeah opps

[–] JoBo@feddit.uk 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The Private Estate is larger than the Crown Estate. And the Crown Estate is public property.

Next year, the sovereign grant will remain unchanged at £86.3m. However, in 2025, the king’s public funding will increase by a projected £38.5m, giving the monarchy an annual stipend of £124.8m. In 2026, it will be £126m.

When was the last time you got a 50% pay rise for doing fuck all? Those boots must be really fucking tasty.

Catch a grip.

Lord Turnbull, a former cabinet secretary, Whitehall’s most senior civil servant, who was involved in official discussions over royal financing, accused the Treasury of seeking to obfuscate how the monarchy was funded.

He said that linking the royal finances to the profits of the crown estate was “silly” and was motivated by a desire to promote the idea that the king was paying for himself and was reducing the burden on the taxpayer.

“You get people writing in saying: ‘Isn’t it a good thing that the king is so sensitive to public opinion that he has waived some of the money he could have had?’ I think it’s bollocks. It is deliberate – that’s really what makes me so cross about it. It is a deliberate attempt to obfuscate how the thing works.”

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk -1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Crown estates is in no way public property. It belongs to the Crown. The fact you and many other think it should be dose not change the law.

But let's look at the logic if you were correct.

The sovereign grant is being increased to maintain part of that estate. So if the estate was public. Why the fuck would maintaining it be considered a cost to the crown grant is expected to pay.

It is no more public property then and other long inherited property in this nation. The fact that in 2024 and Heck since the 1930. Many people feel it was acquired via immoral means (Not disagreeing). Dose not change the UK legal structure.

And that is exactly why this bullshit about it being public land. And the sovereign grantt being tax payer funded has to stop.

Because not only is it not true. But the claims hide the real facts about our royal families holding. And prevent people from fighting to change things.

It hides the truth of the crown wealth rather then the indevidual wealth of the members. Approx 15bln in assets and 450ml a year in income. Most going to the government dispite the land being held in the crowns name.

George 3 created the situation where the crown is funded from the estates. Via the government. At a time where doing so saved the crown. Without the government thinking. Oh that revenue will be huge in the future. Yes we will win by funding the family now. The crown would have collapsed creating something close to the gov most republicans hope for now. The estates would have been sold off to privrate hands. Much like other EU royal families did.

Instead we have a unique situation where the government benifits from keeping a unique corporate structure owned by the monarch as a form of trust for the family.

The false claims of public ownership and tax part money. Protect the family from public opinion.

[–] feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

Well, he's pulling the right face for it.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 3 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The monarchy’s annual budget, known as the sovereign grant, is pegged against the profits from a national property portfolio called the crown estate.

So it isn't actually from the taxpayer, but basically just him being allowed to keep more money which is rightfully his. Misleading headline.

[–] Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Allowed to keep more money which is derived from his ancestors theft. Accurate headline.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk -1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

You'd find if you traced even the money you had, you'd owe it in some way to some atrocity done somewhere down the line. Even our modern products are built off of the labour of underpaid asians.

[–] Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 8 months ago

And a rowboat and a supertanker both displace water.

[–] Ross_audio@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

There is a difference between working income and investment income.

Investment income is directly attributable to the investment and the past actions that have wealth in the first place.

Working income is not, you might ask who's paying you and where they got that money. But you have worked and added value in a way that generates income tied to your work.

Most people do not have generational wealth. Their money is traceable to their work. In some cases their parents work. Occasionally a grandparents work.

It's possible that your work is extracting value you shouldn't be entitled to extract, but it's usually well removed from the real problem.

The royal family's investments go well back well beyond any of them did any work.

You're right that the further back you go, the more likely it is you'll find an atrocity. This is quite common with talk about reparations for slavery and racism in the US and UK.

For the duchy of Cornwall as an example we're talking about untaxed wealth since 1337. On land stolen from Cornish people. After the earldom was essentially taken by force in 1068.

By the current owner's 25x great grandfather on his mother's side and 31x great grandfather through the direct royal line. (Prince William)

A subjugated population living in surfdom. As voting rights were tied to property they didn't get a vote until 1918.

The Representation of the People Act extended the vote to all men over 21 and most women over 30

Then 1928 women got the equal right to vote. All men and women over 21.

The royal estates are the 3rd largest land owners in the UK. Behind only the forestry commission and the ministry of defence. About 3% of the land is owned by royal or those descended from nobility.

Then there's the large amount of land in the hands of the church and private schools which has been to directly influence the rich few. There's the enormous wealth gained from selling land on for mineral and resource extraction.

But sure after almost a century of something resembling democracy you're going to pretend someone earning a paycheck is the same as someone benefitting from a near millennia of wealth extraction under the threat of force.

And that's just talking about land in the UK. The amount of assets they've gained from empire is another thing to talk about.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 points 8 months ago

Fair point.

[–] Fudoshin@feddit.uk 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

May I suggest you read this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Do-You-royal-family/dp/1785906216

It's very enlightening.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk -4 points 8 months ago

Paywalled article