A view up a London street showing a row of Victorian brick houses with white painted window frames

Transparency of land ownership involving trusts

20 February, 2024

The Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) has submitted a response to the Government's consultation on  ‘Transparency of land ownership involving trusts’. 

We have no objections in principle to greater transparency for law enforcement authorities. It is reasonable for Government to want to know who owns and controls UK land and property. Our concern is that any public disclosure needs to be proportionate and that the administrative burden placed on trustees in providing this information is reasonable.

In our response, we sought to make two specific points about the implications of increased transparency for the kinds of trusts that our members advise on. Our concerns are the extent to which making details of all beneficiaries available would be meaningful to the public, and about the additional cost and administration burdens these measures will impose.