Equal Treatment On Inheritance Taxes

EDM number 732 in 2004-05, proposed by Harry Barnes on 21/02/2005.

That this House strongly endorses The Observer newspaper's campaign to change the law on inheritance tax so that cohabiting heterosexual couples enjoy equal tax liabilities and burdens as same sex couples and married heterosexual couples; believes that the tax system should respect people's choices and not penalise them for making such choices; notes The Observer's fear that up to 200,000 cohabiting couples could be at risk of having to pay hefty tax bills and in the worst cases of losing their homes if one of them dies, which probably would not happen if they were married; further notes that rising property prices are exposing more people to potential inheritance tax bills and unmarried partners are particularly vulnerable because of the way the rules work; and calls upon the Government to take urgent action to remedy this unfair anomaly in the tax system.

This motion has been signed by a total of 40 MPs.