0:00:05 > 0:00:07'The super-rich are taking over.'
0:00:07 > 0:00:13Somebody like me earns 10,000, 20,000 an hour.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17'85 people own the same wealth as half the world's population.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:20You don't get this stuff at IKEA, do you, John?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22LAUGHTER
0:00:22 > 0:00:24How much are you worth?
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Around £250 million.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Never before has money been so polarised.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35The 21st century will be the most unequal period in human history.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39'My name's Jacques Peretti, and in this series, I'm going to find out
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'how the super-rich have changed Britain.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Explain how important Britain is as a tax haven for the super-rich.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47It's very important.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50It's the most attractive location now on the planet.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53But are they making us richer...
0:00:53 > 0:00:56We want more super-rich people here in England.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01..or creating a more divided society?
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We went to see our local Labour mayor and he said to us,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06"If you can't afford to live in Newham,
0:01:06 > 0:01:07"you can't afford to live in Newham.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09"What do you want me to do about it?"
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Human nature will always be a little envious
0:01:14 > 0:01:17of those who have more than they do.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23Who sold us the idea that the super-rich would make us better off?
0:01:24 > 0:01:27There have always been the haves and the have nots,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29but today, you have the haves, the have nots and the have yachts.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33This is the story of The Super-Rich...And Us.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47'As the rest of Britain struggles,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49'the super-rich have never had it so good.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56'Since the '08 crash, there's been £80 billion of austerity cuts.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00'The same amount bankers will have been given in bonuses.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09'At just over £180,000, this Lamborghini
0:02:09 > 0:02:12'costs the same as an average house in Britain.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19'Simon has flown in from Switzerland to buy a second-hand car,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21'but not like one you or I might buy.'
0:02:23 > 0:02:27You collect cars. How many cars have you got? Do you know?
0:02:27 > 0:02:30I don't know if my wife's listening or not, but let's say less than ten.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31- Less than ten?- Less than ten.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'The super-rich are behaving as if the biggest recession since the war
0:02:37 > 0:02:42'didn't affect them, but it did, profoundly.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'They made lots of money from it.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47'Hard to believe, until you hear it from the horse's mouth.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52'Michael Wainwright is the boss of diamond merchant Boodles.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56'His family's reported £85-million fortune
0:02:56 > 0:02:58'is among the thousand biggest in Britain.'
0:02:58 > 0:03:00When the crash happened, did you think,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02"Oh, this is curtains for us," or...
0:03:02 > 0:03:04- What was your feeling? - Well, we were.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07It was very bleak for about three or four months.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11In spite of what's gone on in the world since '08,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13I think the wealthy probably have got wealthier.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17There was a bit of reticence to spend it to begin with after '08, but not now.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19They are definitely out to play again, yeah.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21'Michael might have had a bad few months,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25'but we've had seven years of austerity.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27'Our incomes have stagnated,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30'but last year alone, the top thousand saw their wealth rise
0:03:30 > 0:03:33'by £70 billion,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36'making their wealth equal to the combined annual earnings
0:03:36 > 0:03:40'of Britain's entire full-time workforce.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44'The gobsmacking gap between us and the richest 1%
0:03:44 > 0:03:47'is returning us to a world we thought had gone away.'
0:03:48 > 0:03:50You know, when I was growing up in the 1970s,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54the idea that the aristocracy ruled Britain had gone.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56They were finished.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59But now there's a new aristocracy who have taken over.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02And they're not the landed gentry, they're the super-rich.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07'Britain now has 104 billionaires.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11'That's more per head than any other country in the world.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15'But when you ask how their presence benefits the rest of us,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'it turns out that the rich have a party line on that.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20'It's called trickle-down.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22'This is multimillionaire, Rob Hersov.'
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- Michael.- Great to see you.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Are the rich good for Britain?
0:04:27 > 0:04:28Yes, very good for Britain.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32We want more super-rich people here in England.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Why? Because if they invest here,
0:04:36 > 0:04:41if they hire people, if they use taxis,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44if they go to restaurants, they are creating wealth
0:04:44 > 0:04:46for people in England.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49It's not trickle-down, it's trickle-through.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52They are creating opportunities for other people.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Trickle-down or trickle-through,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00the idea is that their spending will benefit all of us.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02But does it?
0:05:02 > 0:05:06I've come to a high-end showcase for super-watches to find out.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11That looks amazing!
0:05:11 > 0:05:15So, if I wanted to buy that, how much would that set me back?
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Only £215,000.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- 215? That's a bargain(!) - Yes. I know.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- Would you like to try it on? - Please. That would be great.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Please have a seat.- Thank you.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30So...here we have Metamorphosis II.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- Metamorphosis II?- Metamorphosis II.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35What was Metamorphosis I like?
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Metamorphosis I was amazing
0:05:37 > 0:05:39- and this is now...- Better!
0:05:39 > 0:05:42..on an even higher level.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- We've separated the hours from the minutes.- Yeah.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47And then, here, you actually have your dates.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50That's just insane! Now, how on earth can I tell the time?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52So at the moment, it's very simple,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55that we're now at 20...to 8.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59So in a way, right, the only people who understand how this watch works
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- are the people who own them, right? - Yes.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- So it's a bit like a private club. - Exactly. It's a secret.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- Can I try it on? - Of course you can.- Right.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Wow! That is...
0:06:16 > 0:06:18- How does it look? - It looks really good.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Really, really good.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I think I might just make a move, all right? See you later.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25LAUGHTER
0:06:28 > 0:06:31And if you thought that was ostentatious, look at this.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It's made of Zambian emeralds,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41White diamonds, white gold.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45'A snip at £2 million.'
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Looks a bit...tacky to me.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Whatever you think of this watch, these items are trophy assets.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Manufacturing them is unlikely
0:06:58 > 0:07:01to employ thousands in a factory here in the UK.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06So it's hard to see how this kind of spending benefits the rest of us.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13'This is a problem for Britain.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15'Many of the super-rich we are attracting
0:07:15 > 0:07:19'spend their money on such trophy assets.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'Private helicopters, Learjets, or yachts.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33'The money stays pretty much in their world.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37'But for the seriously super-rich, only one thing will do.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40'A Premiership football club.'
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Tony, we're walking out onto the hallowed turf.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- We are. It's expensive turf. - LAUGHTER
0:07:50 > 0:07:53I never thought a piece of grass would cost £1 million.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58'QPR was bought in 2011 for £35 million by this man -
0:07:58 > 0:08:02'Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes.'
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Asia's toughest job interview begins.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Welcome to the most challenging interview of your life.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10He's the star of the Asian Apprentice.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12The Alan Sugar of the Far East.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15His net worth of £650 million
0:08:15 > 0:08:17makes him one of the richest men
0:08:17 > 0:08:20in both Britain and Malaysia.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22It's a monumental screw-up.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24For that reason, you're fired. You're fired.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28'The Apprentice Asia premieres tonight at 9.00...'
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So, Tony, you made your money from an Asian airline.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Why did you buy a British football club?
0:08:32 > 0:08:33TONY LAUGHS
0:08:33 > 0:08:36When you buy a Learjet or a massive yacht,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40you know, it's generally for yourself, the occasional parties.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44But QPR... The feelings, I can't describe.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Life is about experiences.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48So I'd rather do that
0:08:48 > 0:08:52than sit on a massive boat in the middle of the sea.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Buying big things might be exciting for the super-rich
0:08:57 > 0:08:58and employ some people,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00but if trickle-down was working,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03the fact we have more super-rich than ever before in Britain
0:09:03 > 0:09:06should mean we are all getting richer.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09But we're not.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Instead, the 1% share of wealth is rising.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17For the 99%, living standards remain at pre-crisis levels.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Across the world, people are marching.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25This is a demonstration in Boston against low pay.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31In London, what began with an occupation outside St Paul's
0:09:31 > 0:09:34continued last year with a protest march against low pay
0:09:34 > 0:09:38and the growing chasm between the 1% and the rest of us.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45You know, me and my husband have worked all our life.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47We are on quite low pay, but, you know, still,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49we can't afford to live.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Everybody's struggling. Well, apart from the 1%.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56For ten years, the average weekly income of a British family
0:09:56 > 0:10:00stayed the same - £429.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05'In the same period, the richest thousand people in Britain
0:10:05 > 0:10:07'saw their wealth more than double
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'from £200 billion to £500 billion.'
0:10:12 > 0:10:13Do you think it's right,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16the idea that their wealth would trickle down to the rest of us?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Absolutely not.- It doesn't trickle down.- No. When has it ever? When have you ever seen that?
0:10:19 > 0:10:23You can see it's not worked! You can see it, it's not working, is it?
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Inequality has become the theme of epic Hollywood blockbusters
0:10:29 > 0:10:31like The Hunger Games,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34in which people from outside the super-rich city
0:10:34 > 0:10:36fight to the death for survival.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Happy Hunger Games...
0:10:40 > 0:10:44and may the odds be ever in your favour.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47But this isn't just science fiction -
0:10:47 > 0:10:51a recent US Government report predicted a Hunger Games future,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53a world of elites and commoners.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00And inequality is a race to the bottom that Britain is winning -
0:11:00 > 0:11:02we're the only leading economy
0:11:02 > 0:11:06to have grown consistently more unequal this century.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10So how did we come to believe that attracting the super-rich
0:11:10 > 0:11:12would benefit everyone?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Who sold us the idea - and why?
0:11:15 > 0:11:16MUSIC: Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks
0:11:16 > 0:11:21To understand, you need to go back to the 1960s.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Britain's wealth had been built on empire,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and the City of London was the hub.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Now that was gone.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32But Britain had a plan to reinvent itself
0:11:32 > 0:11:35as a tax haven for the super-rich.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39We were no longer an empire - we were a casino.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And the biggest high rollers were about to roll into town.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44MUSIC: Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey
0:11:51 > 0:11:53This was the era of the jet set,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57and leading the pack were the Greek shipping tycoons.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00# Goldfinger... #
0:12:00 > 0:12:06- PRESENTER:- These ships, and more, add up to 6,428,602 tonnes.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Whatever "it" is, the Greek shipping industry obviously has it.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12They also had a problem.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16If they settled here, they would end up paying tax on the profits
0:12:16 > 0:12:18from their huge ships.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20But a compliant British government
0:12:20 > 0:12:22was happy for them to exploit a loophole.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26It meant they could avoid paying tax,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and it was called the non-dom rule.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33The rule was a hangover from Britain's imperial past.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37It was designed to encourage wealthy British colonial magnates,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39rich from the spoils of empire,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42to come to Britain and spend their money.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49This 19th-century relic now turned into a 20th-century tax giveaway.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54The non-dom rule made Britain uniquely attractive
0:12:54 > 0:12:58to the super-rich - you could come here and avoid paying taxes
0:12:58 > 0:13:01simply through a family connection to a foreign country.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03They couldn't believe their luck.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Grant Woods is a man who made the system work
0:13:08 > 0:13:13as a senior wealth adviser at Coutts, bankers to the super-rich.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15You place your profits in offshore centres,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17it can be managed there,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22you can live happily in London, enjoy all the facilities in London.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Among the non-doms who came to Britain
0:13:25 > 0:13:28to reinvent themselves as pillars of the establishment
0:13:28 > 0:13:32were Czech-born Robert Maxwell - originally Jan Hoch -
0:13:32 > 0:13:38and German tycoon Tiny Rowland - Roland Fuhrhop to his friends.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Grant Woods, whose job was to woo these people,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46saw tax breaks as the key tool.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50People kept testing the limits of what was acceptable
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and not acceptable because there were no rules laid down
0:13:53 > 0:13:58by the Inland Revenue specifically dealing with this situation.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00The rules were very, very loose.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02It was all very cosy.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06The non-dom loophole remained largely unscrutinised
0:14:06 > 0:14:11until the 1990s, when Tory donor multimillionaire Asil Nadir
0:14:11 > 0:14:13was found guilty of fraud.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14There are a large number of people
0:14:14 > 0:14:15who work in Britain,
0:14:15 > 0:14:16who earn their money in Britain,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18who don't pay much tax in Britain.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19And many of these people
0:14:19 > 0:14:20are millionaires who are using
0:14:20 > 0:14:22non-resident status,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25or non-domicile status to avoid their proper share of tax.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Now, I'm going to close these loopholes.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30But guess what? Nothing happened for 15 years.
0:14:30 > 0:14:38In 2008, Alistair Darling finally imposed an annual charge of £30,000.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- To someone who is a billionaire... - Yeah.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45..how prohibitive is a £30,000 flat rate?
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Well, for someone who's super-wealthy,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51it's the sort of money they'd spend on a party for one of their kids.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Far from being a deterrent, £30,000 is peanuts to non-doms,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01whose numbers are now back on the increase.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08£30,000 is £3,000 more than the average salary in Britain.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13You could blow a year's pay on one visit to this salon -
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Oro Gold in High Street Kensington.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- Hi, there. I've come for an appointment.- Hi, is it Jacques?
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- Yes.- My name's Lena, I'll be your therapist for today.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- Hi, Lena. - Would you like to come with me?
0:15:24 > 0:15:28'£30,000 is also around the average deposit for a first-time buyer...'
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Hi, Lena.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31OK. What do you want me to do?
0:15:31 > 0:15:33If you just want to hang your robe up,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- and you can lay down on the couch for me.- OK.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39'..and the current timescale to save for such a deposit
0:15:39 > 0:15:40'is 22 years.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45'So what do you get for this kind of money?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49'Something called a facial.'
0:15:49 > 0:15:51I'm a bit nervous, Lena.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53What's going to happen?
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Don't worry, you're in good hands.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58So, I'm just going to cleanse the skin now.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04The thing is, if you are super-rich, you know,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06this isn't that unusual a treatment.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07You're totally right,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and usually it's not really a one-off treatment,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13as they usually come for a series of treatments
0:16:13 > 0:16:14to get maximum results.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- OK.- So, usually between six and twelve treatments
0:16:18 > 0:16:19on a monthly basis.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24It's a bit more expensive than an avocado all over your face...
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- Yes!- ..which is 40p or something.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27Well, it is gold.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29'The full super-rich service
0:16:29 > 0:16:33'adds gold-flecked moisturisers to the gold mask,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36'with a caviar massage thrown in...
0:16:36 > 0:16:38'because you're worth it.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39'Or just because you can.'
0:16:41 > 0:16:45It's just particles of gold in a gel form.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51'Luxury services like Oro Gold
0:16:51 > 0:16:54'thrive thanks to the arrival of so many super-rich people in Britain.'
0:16:58 > 0:16:59In the 1970s,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04we were getting used to their presence for the first time.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06But while they enjoyed tax haven Britain,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10the home-grown super-rich were not amused.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14In 1974, the new Labour government
0:17:14 > 0:17:17promised a massive increase in welfare spending.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22To pay for this, they increased taxes on the wealthiest to 83%.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25The top earners had had enough.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27MUSIC: Taxman by The Beatles
0:17:27 > 0:17:30# There's one for you, 19 for me
0:17:33 > 0:17:36# Cos I'm the taxman
0:17:36 > 0:17:40# Yeah, I'm the taxman... #
0:17:40 > 0:17:43But their saviours were at hand,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46in the unlikely form of two enterprising accountants -
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Roy Tucker and Ron Plummer.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51# Be thankful I don't take it all... #
0:17:51 > 0:17:56Spotting a gap in the market, they'd set up their own bank
0:17:56 > 0:17:57called Rossminster.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Its main purpose was the development of complex schemes
0:18:01 > 0:18:03for avoiding tax.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05The waiting room of the accountants' office
0:18:05 > 0:18:08resembled an extraordinary cocktail party -
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Led Zeppelin and Roger Moore were clients,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and, most famously, two of The Beatles.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- # If you get too cold - I'll tax the heat
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- # If you take a walk - I'll tax your feet... #
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Richard Brooks was a tax inspector
0:18:23 > 0:18:26who has investigated Rossminster's activities.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30They were promoting weird and wonderful schemes
0:18:30 > 0:18:34with names like "Exempt Debt Scheme", "Commodity Carry Scheme",
0:18:34 > 0:18:37"Non-Deposit Interest" - all kinds of wacky stuff.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42You, in.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Attention.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Things they didn't teach you in school...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48One of Rossminster's most unusual schemes
0:18:48 > 0:18:51was to use the losses from investments in British films
0:18:51 > 0:18:54to reduce customers' tax bills.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56One film dragged into this tangled web
0:18:56 > 0:18:59was the British cult classic Scum -
0:18:59 > 0:19:01a film about borstal.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05And trouble was now looming for Tucker and Plummer.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08On the 13th of July 1979,
0:19:08 > 0:19:1470 tax inspectors and 28 police officers raided Rossminster.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Their offices here were closed, and their little party was over -
0:19:18 > 0:19:22but an even bigger party was just about to begin.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Rossminster showed what you could do with the tax law -
0:19:29 > 0:19:31just how creative you could be with it.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36By the late '80s, you found the big accountancy firms
0:19:36 > 0:19:40devising tax-avoidance schemes and selling them very aggressively.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Although Tucker and Plummer did not face criminal charges,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45things would never be the same.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51The men behind Rossminster marked the fundamental change in attitudes.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55From now on, they were saying, rules are there to be broken -
0:19:55 > 0:19:58but only if you're wealthy.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00MUSIC: Angel by Massive Attack
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Britain was now the tax-dodge capital of the world.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07And it's still happening.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Last year, it cost the rest of us £20 billion.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16One man who's experienced how tax avoidance works for the super-rich
0:20:16 > 0:20:19is billionaire John Caudwell.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- John.- Hi, Jacques. How are you doing?- Nice to see you.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25- Thanks for your time.- Pleasure.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27It's a nice little place you've got here(!)
0:20:27 > 0:20:30It is, it's a phenomenal place.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33You don't get this stuff at IKEA, do you, John?!
0:20:33 > 0:20:36It's probably a good job, really.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41He built up Phones 4u from nothing, to a billionaire lifestyle
0:20:41 > 0:20:45of helicopters and a Jacobean pile in Staffordshire.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50But this is his latest acquisition -
0:20:50 > 0:20:52a pair of Mayfair mansions.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Reported value - £250 million.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01It's a good place to entertain...
0:21:01 > 0:21:06Brilliant place to network with the rich and famous of London.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10John, how does this compare with where you grew up?
0:21:10 > 0:21:12THEY LAUGH
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- Oh, my gosh. - A little more spacious(!)
0:21:16 > 0:21:17Well...
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Well, my first home - first marital home,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24when I was....I was about 20, at the time,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29was a 14-foot Sprite Musketeer caravan on my mother's lawn.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Caudwell's not like many of the super-rich -
0:21:32 > 0:21:36he actually pays his way, and as Britain's biggest taxpayer,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40he's handed over £200 million in the last five years.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44But has he ever been tempted to break the rules?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47John, have you ever been approached with mad schemes...?
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Well, I was approached all the time with mad schemes,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and we DID take some of them up, you know, and I'm not proud of that.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55How does it work?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57You know, what's the conversation that's had?
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Oh, do you know, some of the schemes are so convoluted
0:22:00 > 0:22:01that I couldn't even...
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I wouldn't even begin to necessarily understand them.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07There's hundreds or even thousands of tax accountants,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10often recruited from the Inland Revenue,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13who were tax inspectors, to advise people
0:22:13 > 0:22:17on how to have the latest, barmiest, cutting-edge scheme.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19If I thought they were reasonably ethical, I'd do them,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- but...they were wrong.- Mmm.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25At the end of the day, I believe they were wrong.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28But this wasn't just about individuals.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31There was a culture in which cosy relationships developed
0:22:31 > 0:22:34between corporations and the tax authorities,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38with devastating consequences for the public purse.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43There was very much a system in which senior tax officials
0:22:43 > 0:22:48were rewarded in terms of promotions and bonuses -
0:22:48 > 0:22:52not for success in tackling tax avoidance,
0:22:52 > 0:22:57but success in fostering a partnership between the companies
0:22:57 > 0:22:59and the department.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02So it was about how well can you create a relationship with a company,
0:23:02 > 0:23:07rather than how much money can you actually get for the public out of that company?
0:23:07 > 0:23:12That's right. And if you ended up in a big dispute with that company,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16that would probably count against you in terms of your prospects.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20So, you're actually being promoted for not doing your job, essentially?
0:23:20 > 0:23:24- Many people...- Your job as a public employee is to raise revenue
0:23:24 > 0:23:27on behalf of the public, but actually, they were working
0:23:27 > 0:23:30pretty much on behalf of the companies.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Yeah, I think many senior tax officials, er, ten years ago
0:23:34 > 0:23:36would have said that's how they felt, yes.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44'This toxic combination of tax breaks for foreigners
0:23:44 > 0:23:47'and massive avoidance amongst the home-grown wealthy
0:23:47 > 0:23:50'has changed Britain's role in the world.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52'We were once an imperial superpower.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54'Now we're a tax haven.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00'Pippa Malmgren is a former economic adviser to President George W Bush.'
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Can you explain how important Britain is
0:24:03 > 0:24:05as a tax haven for the super-rich?
0:24:05 > 0:24:06It's very important.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10It's the most attractive location now, I think, on the planet -
0:24:10 > 0:24:11and that's partly because the old
0:24:11 > 0:24:13tax havens in places like Switzerland
0:24:13 > 0:24:16are no longer open for business for NEW money.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Do you think the super-rich and the super-wealthy were surprised
0:24:20 > 0:24:25by how open Britain was as this new tax haven - this new Switzerland?
0:24:25 > 0:24:30Yeah. I think that they had assumed
0:24:30 > 0:24:33that they would be placing their money in, you know, Geneva
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and the Cayman Islands and places like that.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38MUSIC: Time by Pink Floyd
0:24:38 > 0:24:41These changes only happened because successive governments
0:24:41 > 0:24:44became convinced that trickle-down was the answer.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47It started in 1979.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50A Conservative government is elected
0:24:50 > 0:24:53on the assumption that Britain is broken,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56and the money of the wealthiest will help save us.
0:24:56 > 0:25:02Within weeks, they slashed the top rate of tax from 83% to 60% -
0:25:02 > 0:25:05the biggest giveaway to the wealthy in decades.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Tax avoidance was now government policy.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17The old world of heavy industry, unions and high taxes
0:25:17 > 0:25:19was no longer to be trusted.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23It had failed, and should be chucked on the bonfire of history.
0:25:23 > 0:25:30# Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day... #
0:25:30 > 0:25:33But there was serious concern about how this brave new world
0:25:33 > 0:25:38of lower taxes for the 1% would create inequality.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43It dominated Mrs Thatcher's first ever TV interview as Prime Minister.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Is the price for our economic recovery and prosperity
0:25:56 > 0:25:59greater inequality in this country?
0:25:59 > 0:26:02You will get a more thriving society
0:26:02 > 0:26:05when people can rise to the limit of their talents,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and out of the wealth they create, we shall all be better off.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10So a more unequal society, you think,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12is actually better for prosperity?
0:26:12 > 0:26:17A more opportunity society, which enables the able to earn more.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19But it does mean more inequality, does it not?
0:26:19 > 0:26:21It does mean more... Yes, indeed.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25If opportunity and talent is unequally distributed,
0:26:25 > 0:26:30then allowing people to exercise that talent and opportunity
0:26:30 > 0:26:34means more inequality, but it means you drag up the poor people,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36because there are the resources to do so.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39No-one would remember the Good Samaritan
0:26:39 > 0:26:41if he'd only had good intentions.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42He had money as well.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Thank you very much, Prime Minister.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51This belief that lower taxes would stimulate growth
0:26:51 > 0:26:52came from the US
0:26:52 > 0:26:57with radical economists like this man, Arthur Laffer,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00an adviser to Republican presidential candidate
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Ronald Reagan.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Laffer believed that business, not government,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07should be trusted to create prosperity,
0:27:07 > 0:27:13and to do this, the rich should be freed from the burden of tax.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Rich people are different than most people.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18The rich is the one group of people where you lower tax rates,
0:27:18 > 0:27:19you will get more revenues -
0:27:19 > 0:27:23and every time we've raised those tax rates on the rich
0:27:23 > 0:27:24they've paid less.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Laffer went further.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30He said taxing the rich would make society as a whole poorer.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35If you tax rich people and give the money to poor people,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38you're going to get lots and lots of poor people and no rich people.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42The dream is always to make the poor rich, not to make the rich poor.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49In Britain, Chancellor after Chancellor courted the super-rich
0:27:49 > 0:27:51in the belief that they would create wealth
0:27:51 > 0:27:54and trickle-down would be our reward.
0:27:54 > 0:27:5622 pence...
0:27:59 > 0:28:03But after three decades of devotion to lower taxes,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07a new breed of economists who have looked at the evidence
0:28:07 > 0:28:10are convinced we've got it wrong.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Among them, one of the world's leading economists,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Cambridge academic Ha Joon-Chang.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Trickle-down economics, you know, in theory, is not a stupid idea.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25But the trouble is that, in reality, this prediction
0:28:25 > 0:28:29has not been borne out, because in countries like the UK, the US,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31that have used these policies,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34investment as a share of national income has fallen,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37economic growth has fallen,
0:28:37 > 0:28:42so where is that pudding, you know, that that we were promised?
0:28:42 > 0:28:46That, "Well, if you give these people more money,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48"they create more jobs, more income."
0:28:48 > 0:28:51They haven't done anything, you know?
0:28:53 > 0:28:55The pursuit of trickle-down in the UK
0:28:55 > 0:28:59means the rich have doubled their share of income since the 1980s.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04The last decade has seen incomes for most of us stagnate,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07further widening the gap,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11so it's hard to see how trickle-down could not be linked to inequality.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Unless you're Arthur Laffer, of course.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20What critics would say about your innovation -
0:29:20 > 0:29:22the moment at which economics is turned on its head -
0:29:22 > 0:29:26is that, essentially, it's a fig leaf for politicians
0:29:26 > 0:29:28to cynically create tax cuts,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32but with absolutely no economic rationale behind it whatsoever.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- Oh, that's not true. Come on! - Taxation at its most basic
0:29:35 > 0:29:38is raising revenue so a society can function.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40- Exactly.- To say taxation is bad
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- is to essentially say, "Everyone for themselves..."- No.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47"There is no such thing as society, and this is what the deal is."
0:29:47 > 0:29:51Of course the reason you tax is so that you can get those revenues
0:29:51 > 0:29:54and do good. The government can do what governments should do -
0:29:54 > 0:29:58- I mean, highways, schools, defence - all these wonderful things.- Mm.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02And when they've run out of things the government should do, you stop.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04But look what's happened in Britain -
0:30:04 > 0:30:07we have one of the lowest levels of taxation for the super-wealthy,
0:30:07 > 0:30:11and our economy has, at a real level, stagnated.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Do you think inequality has increased as a result?
0:30:14 > 0:30:17If by inequality declining, you make everyone poorer,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19but you make the poor a little bit less poorer,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21then you make the rich a lot poorer, I don't like it.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25I like equality when everyone is benefitting
0:30:25 > 0:30:28and I don't want to see everyone reaching equality
0:30:28 > 0:30:30by everyone going to the basement.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32That's my view.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35So I think looking at equality as an issue by itself is nonsense.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44This conviction that taxes should be low
0:30:44 > 0:30:46is the super-rich mantra.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50But here in Seattle, one of them is breaking rank.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Nick Hanauer is an internet billionaire
0:30:55 > 0:30:57who believes we've been duped.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Trickle-down economics
0:30:59 > 0:31:01is as old as human civilisation -
0:31:01 > 0:31:04we used to call it "divine right".
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Now we call it "trickle-down economics" -
0:31:06 > 0:31:11it's simply the idea that I matter and you don't.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12HE LAUGHS
0:31:12 > 0:31:18That what I do is indispensable, and what you do is extra.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21It's how we keep you in line.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24He agrees with the critics
0:31:24 > 0:31:27that the gross inequality we are now witnessing
0:31:27 > 0:31:30is the result of the wrong turn we took three decades ago.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36The great problem we face in Britain and the United States
0:31:36 > 0:31:40is that we have formed our economic policies
0:31:40 > 0:31:43on essentially believing the trickle-down idea
0:31:43 > 0:31:45of Reagan-Thatcherism. Right?
0:31:45 > 0:31:47The idea that if you make rich people richer,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49everybody's going to be better off.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54And, you know, that's just not true - it's not how the economy works.
0:31:54 > 0:31:55To use me as an example...
0:31:55 > 0:32:01I mean, I earn literally a thousand times as much per year
0:32:01 > 0:32:07as the median wage, essentially, in the United States, plus or minus.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11But I don't buy a thousand times as much stuff -
0:32:11 > 0:32:16I own three or four pairs of jeans, a couple of pairs of shoes...
0:32:16 > 0:32:19You know, we have a big, beautiful house,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22but I don't have a thousand houses here in Seattle,
0:32:22 > 0:32:26and so, no matter how much money I have,
0:32:26 > 0:32:30I cannot sustain a great national economy -
0:32:30 > 0:32:32only a robust middle class can do that.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36This is not simply about the failure of trickle-down.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Inequality is threatening capitalism itself.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Capitalism, which is the greatest social technology
0:32:43 > 0:32:46ever created for creating prosperity in human societies,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48does need some inequality,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52just like plants do need some water...
0:32:52 > 0:32:57but in precisely the same way that too much water kills plants
0:32:57 > 0:33:01by drowning them, too much inequality kills capitalism
0:33:01 > 0:33:03by drowning the middle class.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08The gains of the super-rich have come at the expense of all of us.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Stagnation is touching parts of society
0:33:12 > 0:33:14that had previously avoided pain.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20Welcome to Twickenham - home of the middle classes for decades -
0:33:20 > 0:33:23who complained when shops like Lidl arrived.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Not any longer.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28I wanted to see if they still felt secure as a class,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31or were suffering like everyone else.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36Since 2008, I haven't enjoyed an increase in pay,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39and yet inflation has run higher than my pay packet,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43so effectively, I am earning less now than I was in 2008.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45I think, generally, personal wealth is going to go down
0:33:45 > 0:33:50and down and down. I mean, my parents both had good pensions,
0:33:50 > 0:33:55you know, they get their winter fuel payments,
0:33:55 > 0:34:00they get a lot of freebies, but I'm not expecting to have a pension -
0:34:00 > 0:34:02I'm expecting to be much poorer when I'm older.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05- Mmm.- Because the money isn't there.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08If I ever need continuing health care, forget it.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10I'll be off to Dignitas!
0:34:12 > 0:34:15But inequality isn't just about the middle class,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17it's about something more fundamental.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22Here in Paris, ground-breaking research is being carried out
0:34:22 > 0:34:24which reveals that a seismic change is taking place
0:34:24 > 0:34:26in the structure of society.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34It was here at the Place De La Concorde in Paris,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36at the height of the French Revolution,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39that the original 1% had their heads chopped off.
0:34:41 > 0:34:42GUILLOTINE DROPS
0:34:42 > 0:34:46So it's fitting that, here in Paris, 200 years on,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50one man, an economist, is changing our very understanding
0:34:50 > 0:34:52of what's going on
0:34:52 > 0:34:56by analysing how the super-rich are transforming our world.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02The man in question is the world's most influential economist -
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Thomas Piketty.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07The middle class,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09it's very important for the economy,
0:35:09 > 0:35:14because this is what also allows us to develop mass consumption,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17to develop mass investment in construction,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and it has started to shrink, to some extent,
0:35:20 > 0:35:25in the past 20 or 30 years, and I think it will be a major threat
0:35:25 > 0:35:30to our democracies if it was to continue shrinking
0:35:30 > 0:35:32in the coming decades.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37And Piketty puts the blame for the shrinking middle class
0:35:37 > 0:35:41on the growing concentration of wealth in the hands of the rich.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Are we going to continue in this direction
0:35:45 > 0:35:47of a shrinking middle class?
0:35:47 > 0:35:49It's difficult to know how far this can go.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54What is sure is that, in recent years, what we observe in Britain
0:35:54 > 0:36:00and across countries is that very top wealth holders, billionaires,
0:36:00 > 0:36:05have been rising much faster than average wealth
0:36:05 > 0:36:07and much faster than the size of the economy.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10You can see that if this continues for several decades,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13the share going to the middle class could decline.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18If we believe that a more equal society represents progress,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21this is under threat.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25Piketty points to one form of wealth in particular
0:36:25 > 0:36:29as a key to understanding his argument - property.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33# Grab your coat and get your hat
0:36:33 > 0:36:36# Leave your worry on the doorstep... #
0:36:36 > 0:36:40For much of the 20th century, Britain's property market worked.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Home ownership grew,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and wealth was spread across society in the process.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49# Leave your worry on the doorstep... #
0:36:49 > 0:36:53In fact, it was the biggest wealth transfer
0:36:53 > 0:36:56from the rich to the rest of us in British history.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01- JOHN BETJEMAN:- Along the serried avenues of Harrow's garden villages,
0:37:01 > 0:37:08households rise and shine and settle down to the Sunday morning rhythm.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12In the 1970s, when John Betjeman made his film about Metro-land,
0:37:12 > 0:37:16he was reflecting on a story of quiet triumph -
0:37:16 > 0:37:19wealth spreading as the suburbs grew.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26HE INHALES
0:37:27 > 0:37:31The healthy air of Harrow in the 1920s and '30s,
0:37:31 > 0:37:33when these villas were built.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38You paid a deposit and eventually, we hope,
0:37:38 > 0:37:43you had your own house with its garage and front garden
0:37:43 > 0:37:44and back garden.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49Variety created in each facade of the houses,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52and in the colouring of the trees.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54# On the sunny side of the street... #
0:37:54 > 0:37:57But there was no fairy-tale ending.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58I grew up in Harrow,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and my parents were part of that revolution in home ownership.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05Many of my generation followed them onto the property ladder,
0:38:05 > 0:38:09but since 2003, home ownership has stalled.
0:38:15 > 0:38:16This is Oxford.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21But we're far away from the dreaming spires here.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24In this city, homes used to cost
0:38:24 > 0:38:27three times the average local salary.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31But now an average home costs 11 times the local salary,
0:38:31 > 0:38:36making Oxford one of the least affordable places in Britain.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42Oxford professor Danny Dorling
0:38:42 > 0:38:44agrees that the decline in home ownership
0:38:44 > 0:38:47is at the heart of the growth in inequality.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52How important was the idea of owning property
0:38:52 > 0:38:55to actual relative economic equality?
0:38:55 > 0:38:57I mean, this was incredibly important.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00We went from a position of 90% of us renting,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03and only those who were moneyed owning,
0:39:03 > 0:39:05to a position where it was absolutely normal
0:39:05 > 0:39:07for the middle class to buy property -
0:39:07 > 0:39:10my mum and dad bought a house here for £4,000 in the '70s -
0:39:10 > 0:39:14to a position where it was normal in the working class to do this.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16You know, we had building societies set up
0:39:16 > 0:39:21to help you borrow money to get a friend to build you a house.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23"My house."
0:39:23 > 0:39:26You know, I can't get used to saying that?
0:39:26 > 0:39:27"Have you seen my house?"
0:39:27 > 0:39:30"Why don't you all come round to my house?"
0:39:30 > 0:39:34Oh, Bob, I can't wait to move in.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38In the '70s, popular sitcoms such as The Likely Lads
0:39:38 > 0:39:42reflected the reality of an upwardly mobile society.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45MUSIC: In Every Dream Home A Heartache by Roxy Music
0:39:45 > 0:39:49But today's likely lads are more likely to live in a rented flat,
0:39:49 > 0:39:53spending twice as much renting as they would on a mortgage.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58# In every dream home a heartache
0:40:00 > 0:40:03# And every step I take
0:40:03 > 0:40:06# Takes me further... #
0:40:06 > 0:40:08And there's nowhere that this crisis is more evident
0:40:08 > 0:40:10than here in London.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14They're building - but it's the super-rich who are buying.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19And developers are chasing their cash
0:40:19 > 0:40:22with extraordinary developments like this...
0:40:24 > 0:40:26..showcased in this highly polished promo...
0:40:26 > 0:40:29'One Hyde Park represents a valuable investment.'
0:40:29 > 0:40:32..in which developers sell potential buyers the dream
0:40:32 > 0:40:36of living a celebrity lifestyle in the centre of London.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39'To the south, Knightsbridge, one of the finest...'
0:40:39 > 0:40:42The cheapest flat is £6.5 million.
0:40:43 > 0:40:48On average income, it would take 250 years to buy it...
0:40:48 > 0:40:52if you just went to work and slept
0:40:52 > 0:40:56and never had children or holidays...or food.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Thanks in part to super-rich investments,
0:40:59 > 0:41:04London prices have increased by 25% in a year.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07'One Hyde Park offers legendary service.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11'A new global benchmark for luxury residential living.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15'Representing a secure investment in the current economic climate,
0:41:15 > 0:41:17'some existing owners have already seen
0:41:17 > 0:41:22'a substantial increase in capital value, in excess of 80%.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25'Own the legacy - experience the exceptional.'
0:41:26 > 0:41:31Few people have changed London's skyline like Peter Rees.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34The former head of planning at the City of London,
0:41:34 > 0:41:36he now blames foreign speculation
0:41:36 > 0:41:39for driving prices out of the reach of ordinary Londoners.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43We have a housing bubble in London
0:41:43 > 0:41:46that is fuelled by an almost limitless wave
0:41:46 > 0:41:48of international capital.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50There's no end to that supply -
0:41:50 > 0:41:53it's constantly being generated in Russia and China
0:41:53 > 0:41:54and in the Middle East.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58How do foreign investors view the properties they're buying in London?
0:41:58 > 0:41:59Do they see them as homes?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Investment in the residential real estate market in London
0:42:02 > 0:42:05is perceived as even better than gold bricks,
0:42:05 > 0:42:08which you have to hide in a vault, and you can't see.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10These things are out there, piled up,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13and you can actually keep an eye on them.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17But of course, inside, they are just containers for the same capital
0:42:17 > 0:42:20that you would otherwise put in a bank vault,
0:42:20 > 0:42:24which is why I refer to these as piles of safe deposit boxes.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26# Us...
0:42:29 > 0:42:32# And them... #
0:42:32 > 0:42:36Battersea Power Station, once a symbol of industrial power,
0:42:36 > 0:42:40seen in this glossy ad, is being redeveloped for flats.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44In the first release, 50% were sold to foreign buyers,
0:42:44 > 0:42:48speculating on Britain's property market.
0:42:48 > 0:42:5270% of all new-build residential property in central London
0:42:52 > 0:42:56is now being bought by foreign investors.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00So, what does this mean for ordinary people? For us?
0:43:00 > 0:43:04The enclaves of the very rich are spreading
0:43:04 > 0:43:05over larger and larger areas -
0:43:05 > 0:43:09and not even areas where the uber-rich are living,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12but areas where they're simply investing.
0:43:12 > 0:43:13How far can this go?
0:43:13 > 0:43:16How much do we give over to this desert of wealth
0:43:16 > 0:43:19before London ceases to work?
0:43:23 > 0:43:28This is creating a new class of economic refugees.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32In Newham, this group of single mums are being removed from their homes
0:43:32 > 0:43:36to make way for a new development.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37But they've refused to go.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41What's happening here is being called social cleansing.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43It's obvious what's happening -
0:43:43 > 0:43:47all these council homes and places
0:43:47 > 0:43:49are being demolished and built into glass buildings
0:43:49 > 0:43:53that are luxury apartments that nobody in the local area can afford.
0:43:53 > 0:43:54There's one being built just there -
0:43:54 > 0:43:57it's a stone's throw from where we are standing right now.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58- Yeah.- Yeah, that's Stratford Plaza -
0:43:58 > 0:44:02- and before that was even halfway up, it was already bought off.- Yeah.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04We went to see our local Labour mayor,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and he said to us, "If you can't afford to live in Newham,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10"you can't afford to live in Newham. What do you want me to do about it?"
0:44:10 > 0:44:13And that's the response that we've had from our MPs,
0:44:13 > 0:44:17- councillors, and our mayor. - How does that make you feel,
0:44:17 > 0:44:19that you're being made to move out of where you live?
0:44:19 > 0:44:22It's really upsetting, because, obviously,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25all of our family and support networks are here.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29- Has anyone shown you any support? - No! Why would they?- No.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31We're a thorn in their side for all they care.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33We're an embarrassment to them,
0:44:33 > 0:44:35because we're proving something that they're saying is not happening.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38After a public outcry,
0:44:38 > 0:44:43Newham Council did eventually reprieve 40 out of 434 homes,
0:44:43 > 0:44:46and apologised for the treatment of the women.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49But the fact that they are just fighting for a place to live
0:44:49 > 0:44:52shows how far expectations have dropped.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56For this generation, buying a property is a ridiculous dream.
0:44:59 > 0:45:04By 2032, Britain will be a country in which the majority are renters.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11Getting hold of that key piece of wealth - property -
0:45:11 > 0:45:14will become ever more difficult.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17..and no key worker accommodation.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19That is a SHAME!
0:45:19 > 0:45:23We should not be collaborating with developers
0:45:23 > 0:45:27and excluding ordinary people from housing.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30This demonstration is taking place outside a property fair
0:45:30 > 0:45:32in London's Olympia.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37But this fair isn't just about London.
0:45:37 > 0:45:42Cash-strapped councils from all over Britain are selling off land.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45Hi, there.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46If I was an investor coming here
0:45:46 > 0:45:50and I said I've got 15 billion to spend, OK?
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- We've certainly got plenty of space for 15 billion.- Have you? OK.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58Foreign investors are now circling property markets across the country.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02It's unbelievable.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06They're all just here flogging off, basically, what they own
0:46:06 > 0:46:09to private investors from abroad.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13I'm from Tokyo, on a business trip, for about a week.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16And I'm in the property business.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20- We have a portfolio of 180 million. - 180 million?- Currently.- OK.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22180 million.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25So, it's kind of a little bit of money to spend(!)
0:46:25 > 0:46:28We have many investors interested in UK properties,
0:46:28 > 0:46:32and that's why I'm here today - just to meet people in the same industry
0:46:32 > 0:46:34and to find out what are the opportunities here.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40But what is now becoming clear is the type of properties
0:46:40 > 0:46:42these new investors are after.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46They want more and more of us to rent.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52And that's increasingly what the market will supply.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56MUSIC: For The Love Of Money by The O'Jays
0:46:56 > 0:47:01But it's not just super-rich foreign investors exploiting this trend.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Properties are being swept up by a growing class
0:47:03 > 0:47:06of British super-rich property investor -
0:47:06 > 0:47:08the buy-to-let baron.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11# Money, money, money, money... #
0:47:11 > 0:47:15And this man is the biggest buy-to-let baron of them all -
0:47:15 > 0:47:16Kevin Green.
0:47:18 > 0:47:23After the count of three, we're going to say, "Yes, yes, yes,"
0:47:23 > 0:47:24in really quick succession.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26One, two, three...
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- ALL:- Yes, yes, yes!
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Brilliant! Give a high-five to the person next to you.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34He owns 700 properties,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38but he also gives wealth seminars on how to be a buy-to-let millionaire.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41If you worry what everybody's going to say about you,
0:47:41 > 0:47:45you ain't going to become a very successful entrepreneur.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47Does that make sense?
0:47:47 > 0:47:49Kevin's business is doing very well,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52but he's gaining at the expense of one group in particular -
0:47:52 > 0:47:54first-time buyers.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57By value, buy-to-let lending is growing faster
0:47:57 > 0:47:59than first-time mortgages.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02It seems as though, in Britain, there are two worlds being created,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05and one is the buy-to-let market, which is booming,
0:48:05 > 0:48:07and then, on the other half, is everyone else
0:48:07 > 0:48:09who's trying to get on the property ladder
0:48:09 > 0:48:12and just simply can't afford to get on the property ladder -
0:48:12 > 0:48:17and they're related, because your world is forcing everyone else
0:48:17 > 0:48:19from not being able to buy anything.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21So how do you feel about that?
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Yeah, I mean, it's a fair comment, there.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26Property, if you're into it, does - if you do it right -
0:48:26 > 0:48:27get you in a very wealthy position.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Generally, there is a split,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32and it's getting harder for first-time buyer to come in.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Whether that's because of investors is arguable.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39We then had a payment of £31,000 tax free.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Hands up who'd like that?
0:48:41 > 0:48:44These people aren't mega landlords,
0:48:44 > 0:48:47but every one that succeeds, could push out one more first-time buyer.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51If everyone becomes a buy-to-let landlord,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54there won't be any property left for anyone else -
0:48:54 > 0:48:57it's going to just exacerbate the problem, make things even worse.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Probably that problem has already been realised,
0:49:01 > 0:49:02and we've reached that point.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07Our housing crisis is Kevin's business opportunity,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10as we become a nation of renters.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13When I get up every morning,
0:49:13 > 0:49:16I do something which is a little bit different -
0:49:16 > 0:49:18cos sometimes, as an entrepreneur,
0:49:18 > 0:49:22it's good to be a little bit crazy or a little bit different, isn't it?
0:49:22 > 0:49:24What I do is, I instil self belief.
0:49:24 > 0:49:29I go, "If I wasn't me, I would SO want to be me!"
0:49:30 > 0:49:34You know? And then... I feel better already, do you know what I mean?
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Once you've got that sweet taste of success that starts coming,
0:49:38 > 0:49:40then you just want more.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44After three - one, two, three...
0:49:44 > 0:49:47- ALL:- If I wasn't me, I would SO want to be me!
0:49:47 > 0:49:49Brilliant! Give yourself a round of applause.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Property equals wealth in Britain.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56It's at the heart of ballooning inequality,
0:49:56 > 0:50:00increasing wealth for the super-rich and taking it away from us.
0:50:04 > 0:50:05And as we struggle,
0:50:05 > 0:50:08the party only gets better for the wealthiest in Britain.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13I'm on my way to a private event at Prince Harry's favourite club,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17Mahiki, thrown by diamond seller to the super-rich - Vashi.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- How's it going, Vashi? - Mate, it's just unbelievable.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23As you can see, we've got about 150 people already here.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26- So it's just going better than expected.- Yeah.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37For Vashi, business is booming.
0:50:37 > 0:50:42This is Stephanie, the wife of a Russian multimillionaire in London
0:50:42 > 0:50:45who wants to spend a lot of money on diamonds.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49So, in terms of the jewellery, what were you looking for?
0:50:49 > 0:50:52- I would like to surprise people with something.- Yeah? Great.
0:50:52 > 0:50:53Let's take it out.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56What's the most ridiculous thing
0:50:56 > 0:50:58that you've been asked to cover in diamonds?
0:50:58 > 0:51:02Well, we had the other day someone buying a bra crusted with diamonds.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06That's the only way that you can buy a bra that's worth £10 million.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10Buying diamonds isn't simply an extravagance for the super-rich -
0:51:10 > 0:51:13like gold or watches, they're an investment,
0:51:13 > 0:51:17insulating their wealth in case the economy goes belly up again.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19- Can I take one more?- Yes, please.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22After a bit of polite horse trading, they agree on a price.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25Altogether 54, 55, so we can do it for 50.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27- Thank you very much! - It's a pleasure!
0:51:27 > 0:51:30- Thank you, Stephanie.- Thank you. - Great doing business with you.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!
0:51:36 > 0:51:39For decades, as we've seen, government after government
0:51:39 > 0:51:43pursued an economic policy to attract the super-rich to Britain.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45It was all based on a flawed idea -
0:51:45 > 0:51:48that their wealth would trickle down to the rest of us.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50It didn't.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52Economists believe it actually trickled up,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55from us to the super-rich,
0:51:55 > 0:51:58into their giant reservoir of private wealth.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01So you think, in a way, trickle-down was almost a way of duping us
0:52:01 > 0:52:05into redistributing wealth from all of us
0:52:05 > 0:52:08to the richest members of society?
0:52:08 > 0:52:10Yes, I can only describe it like that,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12because, especially in the US and the UK,
0:52:12 > 0:52:15back in the late 1970s,
0:52:15 > 0:52:18the top 1% used to take about 10% of total income -
0:52:18 > 0:52:25on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis, this rose to 23%.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29There is now a growing consensus that this trickle-up effect
0:52:29 > 0:52:32needs to be reversed.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35We have indeed made rich people richer -
0:52:35 > 0:52:38I am testament to that - but clearly,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40everyone else isn't better off.
0:52:40 > 0:52:46And it's both immoral but also economically idiotic.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50The super-rich have the money and we need it -
0:52:50 > 0:52:52so how do we get it off them?
0:52:52 > 0:52:54Thomas Piketty has a radical solution -
0:52:54 > 0:52:56instead of increasing income tax,
0:52:56 > 0:52:58directly target the wealth of the super-rich.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02It would be better, actually, to have an annual tax on wealth.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05This is just a matter of common sense -
0:53:05 > 0:53:08you know, this is not a matter of just left or right.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11When you have booming property values at the top
0:53:11 > 0:53:15and booming top wealth portfolio at the top,
0:53:15 > 0:53:18you know, it would be crazy not to ask a little bit more
0:53:18 > 0:53:20to these people.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23But guess who disagrees...
0:53:23 > 0:53:26the super-rich themselves.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31I'm very, very much in favour of very low taxation
0:53:31 > 0:53:33right the way across the board.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37I think we don't need to be taxed any more -
0:53:37 > 0:53:38we are paying a lot of tax.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41if I gave you, Jacques, my tax bill you'd probably have a heart attack.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44So this approach of robbing the rich to pay the poor,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46I don't agree with it.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48If somebody's done well for themselves through hard work
0:53:48 > 0:53:51and effort, why should they be taxed through the eyeballs?
0:53:53 > 0:53:55The super-rich don't want higher taxes -
0:53:55 > 0:53:59but low taxation does not necessarily equal higher growth.
0:53:59 > 0:54:04Since 1980, countries which have reduced tax rates for the wealthy,
0:54:04 > 0:54:08such as Britain and the US, have not grown any quicker
0:54:08 > 0:54:12than Denmark or Sweden, which kept them higher.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16We need to change the discourse here,
0:54:16 > 0:54:20because if low tax was good in itself,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22why doesn't everyone move to Jamaica?
0:54:22 > 0:54:26The highest income tax rate in Jamaica is 5%.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29If you look at the Scandinavian countries,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32the system there is that you tax everyone heavily,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35but then you spend that for everyone quite heavily.
0:54:35 > 0:54:4088% of Danish people say they are happy to pay
0:54:40 > 0:54:43what tax they are paying. This is quite amazing.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48We, in Britain, have a low-tax culture, instilled in us
0:54:48 > 0:54:53through 30 years of driving taxes down for the super-rich.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55But it hasn't worked.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57The economy would be 20% bigger
0:54:57 > 0:55:02had the gap between the rich and poor not widened since the 1980s.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07Now even the rich believe things must change.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Nobody wants to live in a society where your society is gated,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13where you have to live behind barbed wire,
0:55:13 > 0:55:15where you can't walk down the street.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17You know, people who are very wealthy,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20billionaires and zillionaires of every stripe, do need to wake up.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25The price that you have to pay in higher taxes
0:55:25 > 0:55:28for a safe, civil society
0:55:28 > 0:55:31where everybody is happy and doing better
0:55:31 > 0:55:35is very, very low - it's just not that big a deal.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39But it would be a massive struggle to convince any government
0:55:39 > 0:55:42to seriously hammer the super-rich.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46The drive is to attract more of them here than ever before -
0:55:46 > 0:55:48and there's a surprising reason why.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Economist Matt Whittaker has been crunching the numbers
0:55:52 > 0:55:55on the super-rich and come to a startling conclusion.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59It turns out the super-rich do have a vital role
0:55:59 > 0:56:00to play in our economy,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02just not the one we were told they were playing.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05Take the activities of the super-rich away,
0:56:05 > 0:56:07particularly in finance and in business services
0:56:07 > 0:56:10and our GDP figures simply would not have looked as good.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13So the super-rich have played a role in our economy
0:56:13 > 0:56:17in terms of window dressing the economic figures.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20You can certainly see the attraction to Chancellors of the Exchequer
0:56:20 > 0:56:23of attracting the super-rich to the UK.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25But clearly, for the majority of people in the UK,
0:56:25 > 0:56:30actually what the super-rich have done is simply mask over the fact
0:56:30 > 0:56:32that economic growth has not been as strong
0:56:32 > 0:56:34as it would otherwise have been in recent years,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38and living standards haven't improved for a significant number of people,
0:56:38 > 0:56:40even in the pre-crisis years,
0:56:40 > 0:56:43and I think that a model which is based on a top 1%
0:56:43 > 0:56:48generating and consuming all of the growth simply isn't sustainable.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50So if I gave you an option of,
0:56:50 > 0:56:54"Were the super-rich good for Britain - yes or no?"
0:56:54 > 0:56:56which one of those two words would you go for?
0:56:56 > 0:56:58I'd say no.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02When we first began to woo the super-rich to Britain,
0:57:02 > 0:57:04there was no pretence that we'd benefit.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09But then, with the collapse of manufacturing in the '80s,
0:57:09 > 0:57:12we were told that these people would be the saviour
0:57:12 > 0:57:13of the British economy.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17But it was a lie. We've ended up poorer.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19It was not even us, nor even really the super-rich
0:57:19 > 0:57:23who ultimately benefited most, but government,
0:57:23 > 0:57:26allowing successive Chancellors to hail economic growth
0:57:26 > 0:57:30when the reality for us was a decade of stagnation.
0:57:30 > 0:57:35The super-rich were a massive PR exercise - and we bought it.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37But not any more.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43Next, we travel into the world of the global super-rich.
0:57:43 > 0:57:48How the billions that fuelled their fortunes were made from our debt...
0:57:48 > 0:57:50Finance just means other people's debts.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52So, you yourself didn't bring about the crash,
0:57:52 > 0:57:54but you created the mechanics for it to happen.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56That's true.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00..and as luxury booms, we reveal how job insecurity has been
0:58:00 > 0:58:03turned into a super-rich business opportunity...
0:58:03 > 0:58:05Employment, as we know it traditionally,
0:58:05 > 0:58:08has made people quite lazy, in many ways.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12..but increasing inequality is going to change our world.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15And the super-rich are worried.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17So, are the pitchforks coming?
0:58:17 > 0:58:20If things keep going the way they are, for sure they're going to come.