Tax Avoidance - I wish!

I say good luck to Jimmy Carr, if he's not broken any laws?


He's just one and has done well in life. Even at 20% what woudl he owe the treasury?


What about us lower paid folks we toil year afte year and give over 30% of our income to beloved HMRC (yes add Tax and NI -basically another tax). Is this example fair - I ask you.


My friend has worked for over 30years and never earned enough to pay Higher rate tax and indeed is below the national average wage. His wife doesn't work - their choice agreed - but deem they can manage on his income. So his mother dies and he inherits her estate. Not enough for Inheritance tax (he wishes) but a nice little bungalow - a bit tired. So after sorting out wills,  affairs etc puts said Bungalow on the Market. Lets say £200k. it take 3 years to sell and in fact he gets only 150k but this is in fact £30k more than the value when she died, a gain of £30k. So HMRC want him to pay CAPITAL GAINS TAX. So he fills in his tax return and that year they add it to his income - say £20k making a fantastic £50k in that year taking him into Higher rate tax. Whoopee - now he has to write a cheque to the taxman to cover all this off. Total tax bill £13k!


IS THIS FAIR? If he'd had the full £150k as an inheritance it would be Tax free. Just because there was a time lapse between inheritance and selling the bungalow and it went up by £30k (could have easily been down by 50k if it had happened 2/3 years later).


ITS JUST NOT FAIR. A once-in-a-lifetime event you only get parents dying once and the measly bungalow sells for a small profit and the Taxman grabs £13k because he's been so lucky to "make a profit". He has never and probably never will become a true Higher rate tax payer but that's the rules. 


If it was a business or someone like Jimmy Carr it wouldn't even be a pin prick in his income. But HMRC are bullies and the rules applly with an iron fist to the little people.