Mary Killen Mary Killen

Your Problems Solved | 15 October 2005

Etiquette advice from The Spectator's Miss Manners

issue 15 October 2005

Dear Mary…

Q. Your child of not super-rich parents (8 October) needs to be aware that, if his parents hand ownership of their house to him, for the transfer to be valid for tax purposes they would then have to pay a full rent to him, and they might not want or be able to do this.
T.W.A., Surrey

A. Yes my correspondent might well have found that this was the case and it might well not suit the parents to shell out the full rent. However, the point was to prompt the parents into confronting the issue of legal tax avoidance in the first place so that they can take action sooner rather than later.

Q. Re: pyjama trouser options. There is another solution to your correspondent who thinks that serving breakfast in pyjamas should be exotic rather than erotic or merely pseudo-exhibitionist.

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