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Portion of Queen Elizabeth's estate was invested offshore, docs show

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II meets Drum Horse Perseus in London last month. Photo: Yui Mok, Pool Photo via AP

A portion of Queen Elizabeth II's private estate was invested in offshore funds in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda and used to fund a small interest in the takeover of two British retail chains, per the BBC. The revelation was contained in the Paradise Papers, a trove of leaked documents from offshore law firms detailing the tax avoidance strategies of the global elite.

Why it matters: The disclosure shows just how high up some of the information in the Paradise Papers might go. And while the Queen is legally in the clear — she's exempt from paying tax in the United Kingdom, but does so anyway — her estate's investment comes across as poor judgment given the weight of her reputation.

More about the investment:

  • It involved purchasing a stake in the controversial British rent-to-buy chain BrightHouse. The company was accused of "preying on the vulnerable" by the Financial Times due to sky-high interest rates on home appliances and other fixtures.
  • It was notably small — only a few million pounds of the Queen's £500m estate. The current investment amounts to just 0.3% of the estate's total value. The controversial interest in BrightHouse is just 0.0006% of the estate.

Go deeper: The Paradise Papers hit Wilbur Ross on this side of the Atlantic.

Go deeper

Oriana Gonzalez
2 hours ago - Economy & Business

Complaint to FTC: Amazon search results full of potentially deceiving ads

Photo: Nigel Kirby/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Amazon does not sufficiently distinguish between its search results and paid ads, potentially "deceiving millions of consumers," according to a complaint filed to the Federal Trade Commission.

Why it matters: Joan Moriarty, research director for the Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of labor unions that filed the complaint, told the Washington Post the group is "very hopeful" that the FTC will investigate the complaint because Lina Khan (D), a known Amazon critic, is now chair.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Jacob Knutson
4 hours ago - Health

Pfizer-BioNTech: Booster doses more effective at blocking Omicron

Prepared doses of the BioNtech-Pfizer Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine in Germany on Dec. 7. Photo: Thomas Kienzle/AFP via Getty Images

Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that two doses of their COVID-19 vaccine were significantly less effective at neutralizing the Omicron variant in early lab tests, but a three-dose regimen was more effective.

Why it matters: Omicron, which has been labeled a variant of concern by the World Health Organization after being identified by scientists in South Africa last month, has forced vaccine makers to reassess the effectiveness of their vaccines against this specific new form of coronavirus.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Mike Allen, author of AM
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden unveils "Building a Better America" branding

President Biden speaks on infrastructure while visiting a bridge in Woodstock, N.H., last month. Photo: John Tully/Getty Images

President Biden today launched a new website and unveiled bold new branding as part of a nationwide tour to sell the benefits of his infrastructure package.

Why it matters: The White House says passage of the new law shows the ability to "forge bipartisan consensus and prove our democracy can deliver big wins" even in these toxic times.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow