Heterosexual Men Marry

[Zacs-Master]

Great story tipifying Irish character
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/23/two-heterosexual-irish-men-marry-to-avoid-inheritance-tax-on-house

[Zacs-Master]

Give it a rest Julie. You’ve made a bit of a twonk of yourself once. enough already.

[aelmpvw]

it's a win win, they save tax and have two stag parties

[Jahulaye]

I believe I have a very valid point zm but in the interest of non derailment I’ll bow out.

[Jahulaye]

“it's a win win, they save tax and have two stag parties”

LOOL!

[Zacs-Master]

Sensible.

[Jahulaye]

Thread derailment even.

[Jahulaye]

“Sensible”

The winner of deadpan one word one liners goes to.........

[237SJ]

Good luck to them but I agree with Jahulaye - it's a sham marriage and I thought those were frowned upon. I also see the analogy being made - if this was an marriage between a Brit and a guy from Lagos I doubt comments would be as favourable - same principle with a different gain.

[Jahulaye]

237sj thanks, I thought I was going a little crazy but it seems that users are being deliberately obtuse.

[Old_Geezer]

Hetrosexual men have been marrying for years. Not to each other though.

Of course it's not a marriage as such, it fails at the first hurdle of needing two genders.

If marriages of convenience to allow immigrants to stay, isn't legal, (they aren't are they ?) why would one for financial reasons be different ?

[alavahalf]

Because the 2 Irish guys aren't marrying to obtain a british passport ?

[Old_Geezer]

Still doing so for a benefit rather than an expression of a true loving relationship. Ought not be different.

[Jahulaye]

Og it seems that it’s okay to cheat the tax system but not the benefit system, the work “Hypocritical” springs to mind.

[THECORBYLOON]

How would you determine that a man and a woman had not married for tax reasons?

[New Judge]

I’ll address your remarks, juhulaye, since you seem to believe you have a valid point.

“Would we be as welcoming for a floutation of the rules if it was an immigrant marrying to stay in this country?”

There is no floutation (sic) of the rules in the case in point. These gentlemen have married in accordance with the legislation. Conversely there are provisions in the 2014 Immigration Bill which aim to prevent migrants gaining an immigration advantage by entering into a sham marriage or civil partnership. Among (many) other things it says (Section 48):

48 Decision whether to investigate

[when asked to by a Superintendent Registrar]

(2) The Secretary of State must decide whether to investigate whether the proposed marriage or civil partnership is a sham.

So there is specific legislation aimed at curbing sham marriages to aid migration status whereas no such legislation exists to curb sham marriages designed to aid tax avoidance.

“And many immigrants have utilised the law to save their lives but your views are different in that situation for some reason.”

Of course this is pure supposition. In the few examples I have come across where marriage has been prevented under the 2014 Bill which I mentioned, the applicant has usually exhausted all avenues in his or her quest to remain in the UK. During that process the question of whether their life would be in jeopardy if leave to remain here had been denied would have been rigorously examined. The proposed marriage is therefore almost certainly a tool to thwart that decision and remain in the UK for other purposes than self-preservation.

Finally from my personal point of view I see the minimisation of one's tax bill to be of far greater importance than seeking to remain in a country illegally when you have been denied permission to settle there.

[Zacs-Master]

I thought you were bowing out Julie?

[Jahulaye]

“How would you determine that a man and a woman had not married for tax reasons?”

You couldn’t unless they were stupid/brazen enough to report it to a tabloid as the couple in the article have.

Thanks nj.

“I thought you were bowing out Julie?“

I thought so too but am still here.

[ToraToraTora]

jahulaye: "And many immigrants have utilised the law to save their lives but your views are different in that situation for some reason. " - ah the old, I'm talking BS but I can't admit it so I'll change the subject, ruse" - Ok I'll play, yes I am against the unfettered immigration and the way we don't handle it but I do not blame a single immigrant for taking advantage of EU/UK stupidity. In the same way I am not in favour of same sex marriage but I admire these two gents for utilising the law as it stands. Does that help?

[Tilly2]

What a hoot! Good for them.

[THECORBYLOON]

If the legislation and the tax system allows the two men to marry, how are they cheats? There is a difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion with, in the UK anyway, avoidance being lawful unless it is deemed to be "agressive."

No doubt the avoidance/evasion difference in Eire is similar if not the same.