Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft admits 'non-dom' status
Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft admits 'non-dom' status
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Monday, 01, Mar 2010 10:00
By Richard James.
Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft has confirmed his non-domiciled tax status, but claims he will give up the status if the Conservatives win this year's general election.
The Tory party's vice-chairman has been under constant pressure from Labour to clarify his tax status.
In a statement released on his website this morning Lord Ashcroft revealed he pays income tax on his earnings in the UK, but not elsewhere.
The majority of his business interests are believed to be based in the central American country of Belize.
In the statement he declared: "My precise tax status therefore is that of a 'non-dom'.
"As for the future, while the non-dom status will continue for many people in business and public life, David Cameron has said that anyone sitting in the legislature - Lords or Commons - must be treated as resident and domiciled in the UK for tax purposes.
"I agree with this change and expected to be sitting in the House of Lords for many years to come."
Lord Ashcroft has donated millions to the Conservatives in recent years, with the party continually refusing to comment or reveal his tax status.
Following his revelation on Monday, Mr Cameron said he welcomed the news.
"I'm glad this is cleared up, now we can get on with the election campaign", he said.
"I've always taken the view that someone's tax status is between them and the Inland Revenue."
The Conservative leader also drew attention to Lord Paul, a prominent Labour donor, who he claims has the same tax status as Lord Ashcroft.
Home secretary Alan Johnson though responded by claiming the Tory peer's status was "unpatriotic".
"Yesterday David Cameron was saying it was his patriotic duty, very personally, about replacing Gordon Brown," he told the BBC.
"His candidates are being funded by someone who is basically being unpatriotic because he has remained as a non-dom.
"Today's announcement is a little bit of a bombshell in the sense that all of this talk about patriotism disappears into the ether when we find out what Lord Ashcroft has been doing."