Tony Blair is to Donate Profits from Book to Help Injured Troops : but Stands to Gain £2.3 Million in Tax Relief
Tony Blair to Hand Over Advance Payment for Book to Royal British Legion
It was announced on Monday that Tony Blair is now going to be donating the £4 million ($6 million) in advance royalties for his book, "A Journey", to the Royal British Legion, a charity that helps provide for injured servicemen and their families, and also veterans.
The Battle Back Challenge Centre, which is to open in the summer of 2012 at a cost of £25 million, is where the money is being donated, the centre providing sports facilities for injured soldiers.
This donation is thought to be the largest that the Royal British Legion has ever received, but if you were to ask people like Peter Brierley, whose son Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley lost his life in Iraq, you would hear the donation called "Blood Money".
A spokesperson for Tony Blair said that the donation is "in recognition of the courage and sacrifice of the armed forces", however those who campaigned against the UK going to war in Iraq are still of the opinion that no matter how much he donates, he will never be able to buy forgiveness for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tony Blair in currently out of the UK and has therefore not responded to criticisms of this move.
Since leaving office in 2007, Tony Blair is estimated to have earned over £12 million, with directorships in high ranking financial organisations, and also from speaking engagements and consulting.
According to the London Evening Standard, Tony Blair is set to save £2.3 million on taxes through his donation to the Royal British Legion, which makes you wonder exactly what his motives are.
Under a reform that he helped to introduce more than 10 years ago, he is entitled to full tax relief on his charitable donation, which could be as much as £2.3 million ($3.5 million).
So is this donation to charity merely a ploy to try and gain favour with the British Public over the war in Iraq, and maybe to help boost the reputation of the Labour party, and to gain a significant amount from the tax credits, or is Tony Blair genuinely concerned over the mounting casualties that the British Armed Forces are suffering in Afghanistan.
The fact remains however, that if he goes ahead with his book signing next month, the taxpayers in the UK will have to hand over more than £200,000 to cover the cost of security.
If you ask me, there is something not right here...
Sources:
British Taxpayers Furious Over Tony Blair Book Signing Cost
Published by Tony Payne
Tony Payne is a freelance writer who lives on the South Coast of England with his wife Debbie. He has worked in the IT Industry all his life, and has been writing on various sites for the last 10 years. T... View profile
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18 Comments
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Good report, Tony. I agree that Blair should pay for his own security. It does sound like he's trying to do the right thing with his donation.
Well at least it isn't all profit for him. I guess that is something.
Ugh, politics.
I think I'm with Darren on this one.
good for him
Sounds like there is some good and bad to this man and his endeavors!
Well... at least he chose a good cause. He could have donated it to something much less worthy.
what about Bush what has he done for his blood money, absolutely nothing. At least Blair is doing something good after the bad that was done
Sometimes you just have to concentrate on the good that's done and be grateful for it. There can often be a downside. Should that completely negate the good.