For richer or poorer? BrewDog co-founder may delay marriage to max-out tax relief
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James Watt’s investment in I’m a Celebrity winner Georgia Toffolo’s raw dog food venture needs three years as ‘unconnected person’ under HMRC rules. James Watt, the multimillionaire co-founder of “punk” brewer BrewDog, has said he is considering delaying his marriage to reality TV star girlfriend Georgia Toffolo for three years, to avoid missing out on tax relief for investing in her raw dog food business.
![[TV personality Georgia Toffolo in Royal Ascot attire besides a bar decked with adverts for mindful drinking]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1b576ce20f4c7d900191d54ae3a4ba2ebb58ccb4/0_95_5822_3493/master/5822.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The controversial entrepreneur – who built his brewing empire on a reputation for challenging the ethics of big business – has delivered his second anti-tax message in two months. In a post on the professional social networking site LinkedIn, he told followers that his tax adviser had “dropped a bombshell” on him that threatens to cast a pall over the pair’s engagement, which Toffolo announced on Instagram earlier this year.
He said the tax advice on a planned investment into Toffolo’s raw dog food business had plunged him into a quandary over which should take priority, a commitment to love each other in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer – or tax relief.
“If I marry Georgia within three years of investing, I become a ‘connected person’ under HMRC rules, and I lose the [Enterprise Investment Scheme] tax relief,” he said. He asked followers to vote on two options, either: “Love always wins – take the tax relief hit” or “true love can wait for 3 years – secure the relief”.
