header-logo header-logo

09 August 2007
Issue: 7285 / Categories: Features , Wills & Probate
printer mail-detail

Wills and Probate

FROM THE REVENUE

The PRs of Harry Dexter Lyon deceased and the Trustees of the Alloro Trust v HMRC Spc 616, 21 May 2007

The trustees of the Alloro Trust (the trust) appealed against HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC’s) notice of determination that the property held at the date of death by the trust should be treated as property to which Mr L was beneficially entitled. The amount of tax in dispute was about £200,000. The relevant legislation was the Inheritance Tax Act 1984, ss 4 and 5 and the Finance Act 1986 (FA 1986), s 102.

Mr L gifted £2.7m to the trust, of which he was in the class of potential beneficiaries and received distributions totalling £15,965 during his lifetime.
The issue was whether or not the fact that Mr L was in the class of discretionary beneficiaries meant there was a reservation of benefit within the meaning of FA 1986, s 102(1).

The special commissioner made the following findings of fact:
- Mr L was one of the beneficiaries of the trust set up by

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
back-to-top-scroll