Allan907,
<<One tip which is worth passing on - open a foreign currency account with your offshore bank (currency of your country of choice) and shift money from your sterling account to your foreign currency account to take full advantage of any favourable currency exchange rates. Try and shift money to your local foreign account as few times as possible 'cos the banks charge an arm and a leg to move money. I try to do it annually.>>
I know where you are coming with this one and of course it applies as you have already escaped. On that basis the advice is sound. There is not, however a need to switch to an offshore account.
Given an annual input of £20000 you are looking at a tax free income of only about £5-700 max. Simply open two accounts. One for you, one for her. Get paid in yours transfer it to her's. Bingo no tax.
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If money is placed offshore, such as Jersey, it should have been declared to GB (Gordon not Great). True the money would have earned income tax free and you would have held on to the interest for about 8 months, but at the sums we are talking about, say £100k in gratuity - interest £5000, tax £1000, interest on the tax 8 months at 5% - £34 was it worth it? Add a couple of noughts in along the line and lots of stinking rich did, especially as the tax would have been £2000 and the gain £68.
Anyway, door shut.
Gordon put the frighteners on Barclay's Bank and they have had to reveal all the interest paid to UK residents in their offshore accounts. From memory something like 20% had declared interest and only 2% actually paid any tax.
Blood and stone spring to mind. My father, 50 years ago, used to moad about being taxed on money going in to his pension pot and savings and then being taxed on the money he took out later. Double taxation indeed.
Do it in property, do it in valuables, Gordon will still be there with the begging bowl.