The Conservative Party, already reeling under David Cameron’s forced 44 ethnic candidates shortlist, has been exposed once again as a sham with the news that its deputy chairman is a Belize national who is deliberately registered as a UK non-domicile for tax purposes.

Mr Ashcroft, or ‘Lord’ Ashcroft as he became known after he was mysteriously catapulted into the House of Lords after making a £3.6 million “loan” to the Conservative Party, was one of those originally named in the “cash for Peerages” controversy.

In addition to being rewarded with a seat in the House, Mr Ashcroft was also appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party and continued to make huge donations to that party through other companies, many with foreign subsidiaries.
Mr Ashcroft’s use of Belize as a tax haven has meant that he has been able to fund the Tories with millions of pounds, a deliberate distortion of the spirit, if not the letter, of the law governing donations to political parties.

His activities have led to a law currently piloting its way through parliament forbidding members of either house from becoming non-domiciles, or “non-doms” as they are known.

Non-doms do not have foreign income directly taxed except on a remittance basis, unlike domiciled residents. In other words, Mr Ashcroft’s considerable personal wealth is not subjected to UK taxes, like the rest of us.

Mr Ashcroft has also given $1 million to the People’s United Party in Belize (formerly British Honduras in Central America) when it was in opposition. He has subsequently been appointed Belize’s permanent representative to the UN — while still claiming to be a “patriotic” Brit.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Ashcroft tried to explain away undertakings he had given when being granted his peerage which said that he would “take up permanent residence in the UK again.”

According to his statement, “in subsequent dialogue with the Government it was confirmed that the interpretation of permanent residence was to be that of long-term resident.”
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