Burden Sisters - Inheritance Tax

Whilst I have every sympathy with the Burden sisters who are challenging the Inheritance Tax Laws of this country in Strasbourg today , I feel it really disingenuous of their lawyers to site the recent Civil Partnership Act as a comparison on which to challenge their case.

I totally disagree with Inheritance Tax as it stands (see my earlier blog article) but the Civil Partnership Law was hard fought by gay lobyists and won on the basis that same sex partners living together as a couple (in all sense married) have the right to leave their assets, insurances and pensions to each other as would any heterosexual married couple.

These two sisters are not living together as a "married" couple, how on earth could they be.They only share their lives within the same living space and with nothing more than a sisterly emotional tie. I can assure you it is not the same and anyone within a committed gay relationship will tell you that.

So, if the current Inheritance Tax Laws need to be changed , then so be it and I agree they do. but please do not denigrate the massively wonderful achievement of the Civil Partnership Law which came into force in this country on December 5th 2005 by jumping on the bandwaggon and associating it with this heartbreaking case being fought by these two elderly ladies.

Living together in sisterly love is not the same as a same sex Civil Partnership and never ever will be.