HMRC is seeking £1m tax from the estate of the late reality TV star Jade Goody, who died of cervical cancer in 2009.
Goody left her two sons Bobby Jack and Freddie £1m when she died. However, the Revenue has increased her tax bill from £555,000 to £1,035,902 after it concluded a number of the former star’s expenses and losses weren’t eligible for tax relief.
Trustees of Goody’s estate said they will fight this decision, as the tax bill will leave no money for her children or their education.
Trustee Danny Hayward exclusively told The Sun: “Jade was determined to give the boys the education she never had. We’ve paid their private school fees to the end of the year but we can’t after that. Jade would be heartbroken.”
Goody was best known for appearing in popular reality TV show Big Brother in 2002 and later in a celebrity version. She earned £2.2m from 2006 and 2010, most of which she left to her children.
Business expenses and losses on Goody’s beauty salon in Essex are unavailable for tax relief, said HMRC in the last month, in addition to expenses from her wedding to Jack Tweed a month before her death.
Money the star donated to cancer and anti-bullying groups, around £48,000, also doesn’t qualify for relief as it was donated at charity auctions, HMRC said.
In addition, her tax bill includes £119,000 in interest as it has built up over four years.
According to The Sun, trustees say her estate still may be made bankrupt even after selling Goody’s three Essex properties.
