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Ritz hotel owners in tax row
The owners of London’s iconic Ritz hotel have become the latest high profile businessmen to come under fire for not paying corporation tax in the UK.
The accounts of the reclusive Barclay twins, who bought the hotel 17 years ago, are being investigated in tonight’s BBC Panorama.
According to the programme, the accounts show the hotel has used a series of tax reliefs to avoid paying corporation tax despite bring profitable.
MP Nadine Dorries told Panorama: “They’re incredibly wealthy men who don’t pay British tax. I think it is just utterly appalling.”
But the brothers, who also own Littlewoods, and the Daily and Sunday Telegraph newspapers, claim they have not run their UK businesses since they retired to Monaco over 20 years ago.
“We have not attended office, management or board meetings in the UK since leaving the country,” Sir David Barclay said in a statement.
“My brother and I have no editorial, political or economic power in the UK.
“We have always acted in a responsible way with regard to taxation and have never been involved in any tax avoidance scheme. We are not responsible for corporate taxes in the UK and are unaware what tax is paid on the Ritz.”
The Panorama programme will be aired tonight at 8:30pm.
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Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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