Robinson ‘gives away’ £50m fortune to avoid inheritance tax
ANNE ROBINSON has said she has given her £50million fortune to her family to avoid inheritance tax.
The television presenter, 79, said she had “spread” her wealth now to save her relatives from paying a duty upon her death.
“I’ve given it all away. I don’t want the taxman to have it. I’ve spread it about quite a lot, to the children. They may as well enjoy it now,” the former
Weakest Link presenter told Saga magazine. Robinson has a daughter Emma Wilson, 43, and two grandchildren, Hudson, 14, and Parker, 13.
Inheritance tax is charged on the part of an individual’s estate above the taxfree threshold, which is £325,000. That can rise to £500,000 if a home is given to a child or grandchild. The inheritance tax rate is 40 per cent. Abolishing the tax would leave an £8 billion a year hole in the Treasury finances.
The Telegraph has been campaigning for the abolition of inheritance tax.
Robinson claimed to have “no idea” how much she is worth but conceded she doesn’t “want for much”.
“I can’t think there’s anything I really want except my good health and the family happiness,” she said.
The presenter lives in an 18th century Grade Ii-listed barn conversion in the Cotswolds. She also owns two homes in New York, one in Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and another in The Hamptons.
Robinson recently revealed she is in a relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles, the Queen’s ex-husband. Asked whether she was dating the former Household Cavalry officer, who was married to the Queen for 22 years, she said: “Yes. Full stop. Mind your own business.”
She elaborated on her return to dating in her 70s after a 17 year hiatus, telling the magazine: “I’m a great believer in surprising yourself by taking risks. Personally and professionally. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If the worst that can happen is you get some egg on your face, that’s not terrible is it?”
Mr Parker Bowles, 84, has two children with the Queen, Tom and Laura. They divorced in 1995.
‘I don’t want the taxman to have it. I’ve spread it about a lot, to the children. They may as well enjoy it now’