Saturday 21st September • Promotional Content


Family fi nance & legal T e Modern Family


Getting your stamp duty just right — the Goldilocks effect


W


e all know the old fairy- tale — Goldilocks tries out everything until she fi nds


the porridge, chair and bed that are just right. Scientists use the term to describe planets


throughout space


that have just the right conditions to be perfect for human habitation. But when you’re buying a house, you


don’t have the opportunity to keep trying until you get your Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) just right. You have one go and a 14-day deadline to make sure you haven’t paid too little or too much, without much assistance. And


evidence suggests that more and more people are paying too much for this tax without ever knowing. Especially vulnerable to this are


houses with land, outbuildings or even a granny annexe. Various specifi c exemptions and reliefs exist of which many property lawyers will not be aware, and of which the general public is also blissfully ignorant. Far be it from us to suggest that HMRC is a bunch of bears, but it isn’t going out of its way to make this clear to the public either, with ‘calculators’ it’s acknowl- edged are merely ‘a guide’ and phone line staff who have no real idea other than that ‘the computer says no’. Fortunately, Cornerstone is here to


help. Having claimed back more than £1m this year alone in overpaid SDLT by homeowners, and advising many more on the correct amount of tax they should be paying, Cornerstone has got the recipe that will ensure your SDLT bill is just right fi rst time, every time, with none of the tedious trying out of other options fi rst.


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Visit newbusiness@ctatax.uk.com to see just how Cornerstone can help you today. Cornerstone: property tax, properly done


When splits hit the hardest Couples facing a break-up are left with many diffi cult decisions, which can be made all the worse when children are involved, writes Manisha Raja A


family break-up presents challenges to children that may show in various ways as they react


to parental confl ict. Legal disputes over where a child is to live and the time they spend with each parent are growing. According to Cafcass (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service), the number of new private children cases is increasing by 23% each year. Two things need to happen for the


children. Firstly, parents must mini- mise the potential adverse impact of their separation by continuing to show their children love, being honest, main- taining contact and listening to them. Secondly, this support can be rein-


forced by legal arrangements, which may need to be made to safeguard a child’s interests. So, what are the parental options?


T ings need not go to court, with one route being Alternative Dispute Resolution


for disagreements children. T is might over involve media-


tion, arbitration and collaborative law — which aim to foster good ongoing relations and eff ective co-parenting. Another positive element will come


when the awaited Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill introduces no-fault divorce, so ending both the ‘blame game’


and, hopefully, acrimonious


divorce proceedings. If, though, the parties can’t agree


child arrangements following sepa- ration and court proceedings can no


longer be avoided, the parties


Contact Manisha Raja at: mr@axiomstone.co.uk Or for further information about Axiom Stone Solicitors, visit axiomstone.co.uk or contact 020 7016 9333 (Mayfair), 020 8951 6989 (Edgware) or 0121 752 1617 (Birmingham)


will be invited to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) after which a court will appoint a family court advisor from Cafcass. T e advisor will make recommendations to the court as to what’s in the best inter- ests of the child — taking into account the welfare principle contained in the Children Act 1989. Axiom Stone family lawyers can assist


and provide family law advice at all levels — from general support through to options available on child arrange- ments, divorce, matrimonial fi nances and nuptial agreements. T e lawyers encourage mediation and see the court process as very much the last resort. Axiom Stone Solicitors is a full-ser-


vice law fi rm with offi ces in Mayfair, Edgware and Birmingham.


MANISHA RAJA IS SENIOR ASSOCIATE AND HEAD OF FAMILY LAW AT AXIOM STONE SOLICITORS.


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