W2E-003 Ulster editorials 3-3.txt
Royal dues

The Queen's voluntary agreement to pay tax on her private income and to prune the Civil List is a welcome and sagacious move. At a stroke she has defused much of the public criticism of the privilege accorded to the Royal Family. She has conceded the principle that the House of Windsor should be treated in fiscal matters in the same manner as her subjects. That, and agreeing to meet the expenses of all but the most senior Royals from her own pocket, will pay a long term dividend in helping to restore the affection of the nation which, to some extent, has been undermined by the behaviour of the younger members of her family. The State will still pay a large part of the cost, but that is a bill which now will be borne more readily by the taxpayer. The whole issue has not been handled well by the Government, which recently indicated that taxation of the Monarch was unlikely. That only served to inflame public opinion.
