Scottish Greens pledge to strip King Charles of 'ridiculous' tax perks

Dorothy Reddin
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 23:01:02 +0000

The Scottish Greens have pledged to scrap tax exemptions enjoyed by the monarchy in Scotland as part of their campaign to ensure wealthy individuals pay their fair share.

The party's co-leader Ross Greer described King Charles's legal immunity from various taxes as "ridiculous," particularly given the financial pressures facing ordinary households.

Mr Greer said: "With costs soaring and people being priced out of everyday essentials, it is ridiculous that so much public money is given to one super-rich and scandal-ridden family based on who their ancestors were.

"The King is one of the richest men in the world and one of the biggest landowners in Scotland.

"He doesn’t need even more perks, and he shouldn’t be given a free pass from paying taxes simply because of the wealthy family he was born into."

The policy specifically targets Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, Scotland's equivalent of stamp duty, which is fully devolved to Holyrood.

While most homebuyers must pay this levy when purchasing property, Crown transactions remain exempt from LBTT, a privilege the Greens have vowed to abolish.

Mr Greer added: “Scotland should not be a nation where the powerful and privileged are exempt from contributing fairly.

“Even those who support having an unelected head of state would surely agree that the King can afford to pay towards our public services.

“The monarchy is an anti-democratic hangover from an earlier era, and one that the Scottish Greens would abolish in a heartbeat.

“Over the last few years the shocking scandals surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in particular have underlined how poorly served we are by them.

“No family should be allowed to exempt itself from following the law, but in so many ways that’s exactly what the Windsors do. It is long past time for the King to start paying his taxes.”

The Conservative Party swiftly rejected the Greens' proposal.

Murdo Fraser, the Tory candidate standing in Perthshire North, branded the announcement a "student politics stunt."

"Ross Greer and his Republican pals should grow up instead of chucking out unserious policies just to play to the gallery," Mr Fraser said.

The royal communications office responded by outlining the King's existing tax contributions.

According to the office, all income the monarch receives from the Duchy of Lancaster is declared in his annual tax return.

The sovereign voluntarily pays income tax at HMRC's additional rate on this income, alongside capital gains tax on all private earnings.

The King is also subject to VAT and chooses to pay local rates voluntarily.

These voluntary arrangements, which have been in place since the 1990s, mean the monarch does contribute to public finances despite the legal exemptions that the Scottish Greens are seeking to challenge.