Charity advise donating inheritance
Will Writing Services - 22/09/2006 10:48:59
Charity Will Aid has introduced a new scheme to try and get inheritance money to go to people's families or to charity rather than in the tax man's pocket.
It has recruited more than 1,600 solicitors across the UK who will give their time free of charge to draw up a basic will.
The average cost is normally £75 and the solicitor will donate that money to Will Aid, of which Christian Aid is a founding member.
The £75 will then be put towards installing a tap in a village providing clean, safe drinking water and building a sanitary toilet to reducing the threat of diarrhoea, malaria and cholera in developing countries.
Inheritance tax counts for 40 per cent of anything worth over £285,000 and must be paid before families can take control of the estate.
Jack Visser, legacy officer at Christian Aid, said: "The only positive thing about inheritance tax is that it can be avoided. All it takes is a little forward planning."
Will Aid says that leaving charity money in your will can relieve the tax burden on family members as any money left to charity is donated before the final total is calculated for tax purposes.
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