‘I’m no gold digger,’ says man who married pal to avoid tax
A MAN who wed his male friend of nearly 30 years in order to avoid paying inheritance tax has said: “I’ve heard people say that I’m a gold-digger but it’s not like that at all”.
Father-of-three Michael O’Sullivan married his best friend Matt Murphy (85) at the Registrar’s Office in Dublin city centre yesterday afternoon.
Michael (58), who acts as a full-time carer for Matt, had defended their plans, saying: “We’re saving the State money.” They decided that Michael will inherit Matt’s home in Stoneybatter, north Dublin, when he passes away. They said there was no romantic love between them, but tied the knot to avoid paying a tax bill.
Speaking to the Irish Independent yesterday, Michael said: “I was homeless, sleeping in my car and Matt needed someone to take care of him. He was losing his sight and needed a full-time carer. He told me that he couldn’t afford to pay me but said that I could move in with him and he would give me his house when he passed away as payment.
“We didn’t go for the Carer’s Allowance because Matt would have to be examined, the house would have to be looked at and Matt’s a hoarder. I don’t get paid by the carers and I look after Matt. If not, he would have been in a home by now.
Michael added: “I’ve heard people say that I’m a gold-digger but it’s not like that at all. We both got something from this arrangement. We’re great friends and have been for many years. There’s mutual trust and respect between the two of us.”
After the wedding, the newlyweds joined a small party of friends to celebrate their day at The Gasworks Bar in Ballsbridge.
Looking the part, Michael wore a waistcoat and suit jacket from Betty Bojangles vintage store in Smithfield and Matt wore a two-piece suit which he had purchased in a local charity shop.
Michael said the idea of marriage came out of the blue but quickly gathered momentum when the pair realised that it made a lot of sense financially.
“Matt said to me one day ‘will you marry me’, I thought it was a bit of craic at first but it’s turned out to be a great idea and sure here we are now,” said Michael.
“I called the registry office on Monday to see if there was any availability this week and they laughed at me leaving it until the last minute.
“I said ‘can you put me on some sort of cancellation list?’ and they said ‘there’s no such thing, we’re not a hospital’,” said Michael.
“But would you believe they called me the other day to let me know something had come up and they had an opening at 1pm today. Another couple had been booked in but they forgot to fill out the registration forms properly.
“All the little threads came together in the end for us. It all worked out,” he said.
Michael noted that the friends wouldn’t have been able to tie the knot if it wasn’t for the “fantastic” work Ireland’s LGBTQ community put into campaigning for same-sex marriage.
“The LGBTQ community fought really hard for equality ... They opened the door for everyone. It’s equality for all,” he said.
“Generally, the feedback has been great from all ages, even the older ones have been open to the idea.
“And the Church hasn’t said anything. They haven’t condemned us yet or said ‘down with that sort of thing’,” Michael added.