Complaint
A listener complained that the programme gave an inaccurate account of Inheritance Tax allowances, creating the misleading impression that a single person with a house and no dependents had “a total nil rate band of £500,000”. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
A financial adviser interviewed in the programme said “essentially, an individual has an allowance of £325,000 that can be passed on free from inheritance tax on their death. And in addition, if they own a property, they can essentially pass on an extra £175,000”. The ECU acknowledged that this, taken on its own, gave the impression complained of, but noted that the financial adviser went on to give further details from which listeners would have inferred that the extra £175,000 applied only to legacies to direct descendants.
Not upheld