Care home landlord questioned over golf event featuring Tiger Woods
Barchester care home landlord is being quizzed over an £80 million investment towards a golf tournament featuring Tiger Woods, reports The Telegraph.
The JP McManus Pro-Am is set to be one of the biggest Pro-Am's of the year, with the event set to feature the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Jon Rahm, but the event has come under scrutiny following questions over an £80 million donation that is possibly being used to reduce a tax bill.
In a recent article published by The Telegraph, the upcoming Pro-Am set to take place at the 2026 Ryder Cup venue Adare Manor on the 6th and 7th July is being questioned over the possibility that the event is connected to an alleged tax dodge.
The article reads:
One of the UK's biggest care home landlords faces scrutiny over £80m of donations and a golf tournament featuring Tiger Woods.
Limecay, which leases properties to Barchester Healthcare, has given the cash to charities connected to its owners over the last two years – sharply reducing its tax bill.
The landlord, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands, made donations of £47.4m to two connected charities in 2018, and £32.3m to one in 2017.
Although its ownership is not public, filings show Limecay is controlled by shareholders who also have stakes in Barchester. The care home firm's owners include the Irish billionaires JP McManus, 68; Dermot Desmond, 69; and JP Magnier, 71.
Mr McManus is founder of a charity which is funding this year's Pro-Am Golf Tournament in Ireland with €48m (£40.1m) from a connected donor.
The golf tournament did not respond to questions and Limecay solicitors did not respond to request for comment.
Baroness Ros Altmann, a former pensions minister, said: "It's commendable to see businesses supporting charities, but I would urge full transparency on what is happening with the money.
"This is a sector where we already know there is a huge shortage of funding – families have an interest in knowing that the care homes are being run as fairly and efficiently as possible."
The £80m paid to charities by Limecay is equal to 40pc of the rent it received from Barchester over the same period. Barchester operates more than 200 care homes and six mental health hospitals, looking after 10,000 residents.
