Dyson’s kids clean up cash
SIR James Dyson, the man who pioneered the bagless vacuum cleaner, has given £45m of his fortune to his three children.
Each of the Dyson offspring, all in their thirties, have received £15m from a shares deal, according to documents filed at Companies House.
The Dyson company bought back shares for £150m in February 2008 – which also put £105m in the pocket of the vacuum tycoon.
The buy-back transactions took place shortly before the capital gains tax levied on such deals jumped to 18 per cent from 10 per cent.
Dyson, who was knighted in December 2006, recently became the Conservatives’ technology consultant and it is believed his bagless vacuum innovation earned him £1bn. He has recently developed a 10-second hand dryer dubbed the Airblade.
His decision to give money to his children bucks the trend for wealthy entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates, who donate most of their money to charities and leave little for their offspring.
All of Dyson’s children have built their own careers: Sam recently set up a record label, Emily has moved her fashion boutique to larger premises in Notting Hill and Jack Dyson has followed in his father’s footsteps to become a product designer.