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| Traders refuse to pay 'deer tax' | |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| Traders near a south-west London park are refusing to pay a "deer tax" introduced 500 years ago by Henry VIII. | Traders near a south-west London park are refusing to pay a "deer tax" introduced 500 years ago by Henry VIII. |
| Firms which back onto Bushy Park must pay Royal Parks up to £1,400 per year in a tax designed to compensate the king for any deer which left the park. | Firms which back onto Bushy Park must pay Royal Parks up to £1,400 per year in a tax designed to compensate the king for any deer which left the park. |
| Trader Lawrence Phipps said: "I feel we are going back to the days of King John, when taxes were very unfair." | Trader Lawrence Phipps said: "I feel we are going back to the days of King John, when taxes were very unfair." |
| A Royal Parks spokesman said the tax was "for all intents and purposes" rent for land near the park. | A Royal Parks spokesman said the tax was "for all intents and purposes" rent for land near the park. |
| Jumped wall | Jumped wall |
| The back wall of Mr Phipps's photography business, Click-2-Print in Hampton Hill, is also the perimeter wall of Bushy Park. | The back wall of Mr Phipps's photography business, Click-2-Print in Hampton Hill, is also the perimeter wall of Bushy Park. |
| The "deer tax" was originally intended to compensate King Henry VIII for the loss of any deer which jumped over the wall and escaped from the park. | The "deer tax" was originally intended to compensate King Henry VIII for the loss of any deer which jumped over the wall and escaped from the park. |
| The tax levied on Mr Phipps' firm recently rose from £300 to £1,400 per year. | The tax levied on Mr Phipps' firm recently rose from £300 to £1,400 per year. |
| Mr Phipps said: "I think with what I've paid them so far I could have actually built this wall myself." | Mr Phipps said: "I think with what I've paid them so far I could have actually built this wall myself." |
| This is just a bizarre anomaly, a tax that originated hundreds of years ago because of what was happening in Tudor times Vince Cable MP | This is just a bizarre anomaly, a tax that originated hundreds of years ago because of what was happening in Tudor times Vince Cable MP |
| Traders are being supported by Twickenham MP Vince Cable, who said the tax was "outrageous". | Traders are being supported by Twickenham MP Vince Cable, who said the tax was "outrageous". |
| He said: "This is just a bizarre anomaly, a tax that originated hundreds of years ago because of what was happening in Tudor times. | He said: "This is just a bizarre anomaly, a tax that originated hundreds of years ago because of what was happening in Tudor times. |
| "The traders today are faced with the burden of paying it." | "The traders today are faced with the burden of paying it." |
| Royal Parks said the tax was effectively a rental charge for the use of land near the park, which in Mr Phipps' case is a five-metre (16.4-foot) wide strip of land next to the perimeter wall. | |
| Its spokesman said: "The Royal Parks charges an annual licence fee to owners whose property encroaches on Bushy Park." | Its spokesman said: "The Royal Parks charges an annual licence fee to owners whose property encroaches on Bushy Park." |
| He added: "All revenue raised from licenses and rent contribute to the maintenance of the park. | He added: "All revenue raised from licenses and rent contribute to the maintenance of the park. |
| "The Royal Parks staff are always willing to discuss any concerns owners may have about the level or structure of charges." | "The Royal Parks staff are always willing to discuss any concerns owners may have about the level or structure of charges." |