UK government set to amend inheritance laws
The UK government is set to introduce equality laws into the area of unmarried partners with a suggestion that couples who live together for five years would automatically be entitled to half of their partner's estate in the event of their death. While the move will be highly controversial and attract suggestions that the traditional family structure is being weakened, this is probably a natural progression of the UK governments growing inequality plans.
Under current legislation, even if a couple have lived together for some time, their estate will revert back to their children and other family members upon their death. While there is scope for the surviving partner to go to court and attempt to claim part or all of the estate in question, this can be a very expensive and traumatic process.
To those who have followed the taxation issue with regards to married and unmarried couples, this will come as no surprise as slowly but surely the various tax incentives and social incentives of marriage have been eroded over the last few decades. With around 2.5 million unmarried couples living together in the UK, this proposed change in the regulations will have a significant impact upon this particular group of society.
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