Tony Benn’s family save £210k in inheritance tax by donating his papers to the British Library
The Labour icon's diaries, notes, letters and recordings were handed over as part of a settlement, the Arts Council said
LABOUR icon Tony Benn’s relatives have saved £210,000 in inheritance tax by donating his papers to the British Library.
His diaries, notes, letters and recordings were handed over as part of a settlement, the Arts Council said.
One audio diary reveals Mr Benn thought his phone was being tapped by the KGB, MI5 or CIA agents while he was industry secretary under PM Harold Wilson in 1975.
The donation, made under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, allowed his relatives to cut their tax bill on his £5million estate.
Mr Benn also took steps to reduce the bill before he died aged 88 in 2014 by transferring part-ownership of his home in West London to his four children, including Labour MP Hilary Benn.
In 1983, he oversaw a Labour manifesto that lamented “the huge inequalities in inherited wealth”.
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Last night Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said he was “delighted” by the family’s donation.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “It is admirable that the late Tony Benn took such a principled position towards minimising tax.”
British Library spokeswoman Rachel Foss described the archive as “a great gift to the nation”.
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