Civil Partnerships Can Avoid Inheritance Tax

Ron Lynch, the partner of the Are You Being Served? star John Inman (pictured), inherited almost all of the £2.8m estate and did not have to pay any inheritance tax (according to the Telegraph).

Because the pair underwent a civil partnership ceremony in 2005, the Government's civil partnership legislation meant that Mr Lynch was exempt from an inheritance tax charge.

Disclaimer: Always seek professional advice for tax matters.

Eco Friendly Weddings

The Church of England has published a new guide to encourage to-be weds to reject the extravagant culture surrounding weddings and to embrace a more simplistic approach.

The Making The Most of Weddings publication offers suggestions to curtail both the financial expenditure and the environmental impact of a wedding. Suggestions include:

• fair-trades material could be used to make the dress
• buy a second-hand dress from a charity shop, to be returned after the day
  
• organic food to be served at the reception
• guests to bring a bottle
• gift list to be in association with a charity

Whilst some of these suggestions and others might not have popular appeal, bare in mind that recent figures estimate that the average cost of a UK wedding is about £17,000!