It Strikes Me Funny: Judge the Highland by the example they set

In this week’s column I describe the Highland Country Club 1963 tax deal, and a rent deal in the mid-1970s that I shook hands on, as the best in London’s short and fairly illustrious history.

“Why, back in the 1960s and ‘70s, tax and rent deals may have been as common as eggs over easy at Harry’s Open Kitchen (a lovely eatery on Wharncliffe Rd.), just a hop, skip and short putt from my house or the Highland,” I wrote.

“So, don’t judge the Country Club harshly, or me for that matter, for being in the right place at the right time many years ago.”

Then I asked readers to judge us according to the following scenario:

“Suppose I paid low rent for 25 years, saved money each and every month, and never said a word to the landlord about my family’s relative needs as my annual salary increased almost 10-fold over that time period? Would you think of me as an honest, kind-hearted or generous person, an advocate of fair play?”

Oh, I bet you’d think I was a bit of a twit.


And I bet you’d have an interesting definition for ‘twit.’ (I'd like to hear it. Feel free.)

And what about the Highland Country Club?

It’s paid low taxes for almost twice as long as the above rent scenario, saved $2.4 million, knows how salaries have increased during that time (many would have left teachers’ salaries in the dust), and has stated it has “no plans to revisit (the tax) arrangement.”

Sound at all fair?

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