The Domicile Debate

'We seem to have one of the most lax non-domicile rules of any country. This clashes with the Labour Government's fairness agenda.'

'… the story not only of one man's prolific tax avoidance but of a society which has sprung a multi-million pound leak. Britain has become a tax haven for the very rich partly because … British tax law contains notorious gaps …'

All these comments are drawn from The Guardian for 11 and 12 April 2002. They were built around an alarmist tale of Mr Hans Rausing who enjoyed the privilege of a double page spread in the 11 April edition setting out considerable details of his international finances and business interests and noting that in most years he paid little or no United Kingdom tax. There was a banner headline 'Hans Rausing is Britain's richest man with £4.5 billion. Today we reveal how he and...