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MARGARET Thatcher’s £6million townhouse is owned by a mysterious company with links to three notorious tax havens.

Financial experts said it could have been a scheme which would help her estate avoid millions of pounds in inheritance tax. But because the former prime minister’s affairs are shrouded in secrecy, it may be impossible to find out.

The trail leads to offshore businesses in the British Virgin Islands with links to Liechtenstein and Jersey.

The £6million property Thatcher lived in for more than 20 years is owned by Bakeland Property Company, based in the Caribbean territory. Their official address is a PO Box in Liechtenstein and they had their original roots in St Helier, Jersey.

The question marks over her home come as police in London prepare for anarchist demonstrations this weekend, following her death on Monday.

Any suggestion of avoiding a £2.4million inheritance tax bill will spark outrage following the row over

who is paying for Thatcher’s lavish £10million funeral.

John Christensen, of the Tax Justice Network, said: “How can a former prime minister spend more than two decades living in a house in London that has been owned for many years by a company based in the British Virgin Islands?

“This does not pass the smell test and simply cannot be allowed to happen in 21st Century Britain.

“We all have a duty to pay our taxes, and that includes former politicians. Politicians and in particular prime ministers have a duty to be transparent with their financial affairs.”

Records at the Land Registry HQ show that on March 29, 2006, Bakeland paid £2,395,807 for the house in Belgravia, London.

It is unclear who they purchased the house from, because they were also named on the lease when the house was originally bought on October 30, 1991, for a reported £700,000.

There are two leases on the property, which a Land Registry source described as “unusual”. The first one was taken out on October 18, 1991, and lasts until December 25, 2030. The second was taken out on July 29, 1996, and runs out in 2055.

Bakeland Property Company Ltd trustees were originally listed as Jersey-based Hugh Thurston and Leonard Day, her friends and financial advisers. In 2002, The Guardian reported that Bakeland’s shares were held by Day and Thurston. Accountants said they were acting as nominees for a trust with concealed beneficiaries.

As Lady Thatcher did not own the house herself it is possible, depending on the terms of her will, that her children Mark and Carol could benefit. If the property was listed in the name of their mother, they would been subject to 40 per cent tax on the value of the home – an estimated £2.4million.

Tax campaigner Christensen added: “There are huge financial benefits for an offshore company to own a property or leasehold, particularly in connection with stamp duty and inheritance tax.

“A company doesn’t die. If a person dies, the property has to be passed on to someone else – obviously this isn’t the case with a company.

“This can be very beneficial indeed and can save a large amount of money in taxes which would be otherwise due.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of police are on standby in the run-up to Thatcher’s funeral in London on Wednesday.

Anarchists threatened a mass party to celebrate her death and protesters said a demonstration in Trafalgar Square today will be a focus for discontent.

The decision to grant her a military-themed send-off was questioned again yesterday after claims Buckingham Palace had raised concerns about it.

Labour MP Ronnie Campbell demanded to know why 700 troops will stage a ceremonial funeral for Thatcher when prime ministers who had fought for their country did not.

He said: “They are putting her up there with Winston Churchill.”