Payback Time for MP Robert Goodwill

It has been confirmed that Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, has repaid the sum of £4,963.39 to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). The IPSA judged that repayments from MPs would be necessary where an MP has made a profit on their tax-payer funded second home.

Goodwill bought a London flat for £295,000 in March 2006. The property was recently valued by a Scarborough-based surveyor, so the difference between these two figures presumably relates to the IPSA repayment, as per HMRC’s Capital Gains Tax rules.

Goodwill moved into rented accommodation in April 2012 and claims over £1,400 a month for rental.

Shortly after Goodwill moved out of property, he transferred the property into ‘R W Goodwill, Property Division’ and now derives a rental income from the tax-payer funded flat, as per his Register of Interests.

It doesn’t appear that the IPSA have taken the costs of buying the tax-payer funded flat into account. In March 2006, Goodwill claimed £9,731.76 for Stamp Duty and Legal Fees for purchasing the flat. A further £225 was claimed for a survey on the property.

Readers are invited to email Robert Goodwill MP and ask when he will repay the £9,956.76 he claimed for Stamp Duty, Legal Fees and Survey here. You are welcome to post any email replies in the comments section below.

Article first posted to Real Whitby on May 9 2013.