Succession

A new bill that will consolidate, reform and modernise long-standing laws governing the operation of trusts in Scotland has been published by Holyrood today. Scots trust law is widely considered to be out of date, and the main legislation is now just over a century old.

Richard Douglas-Home looks at proposed changes to the capital gains tax regime. The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is an independent office of the Treasury, set up in 2010 to provide advice to the government on simplifying the UK tax system. It will produce reports either on its own initiative o

New rights should be given to cohabitants to inherit from a deceased partner who leaves no will, the Faculty of Advocates has suggested. At the moment, the surviving partner of couples who live together, rather than marry or enter a civil partnership, has to apply to a court to obtain any financial

The public is being asked for their views on how the law covering succession in Scotland could be made fairer. A newly-launched consultation asks how an estate should be split when there are both a surviving spouse and children.

An online will writing too has raised £7.5 million in a bid to “disrupt the death industry” as it aims for a 10 per cent share of the market by the end of this year. Farewill, which currently produces one in 30 wills in the UK, plans to use funding injection to double the size of i