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They taxed me £60 to clean my parents’ grave

September 12, 2008 15:01
2 min read

London burial societies are charging mourners a tax to have a stonemason clean or repair a gravestone.
Anyone booking a stonemason for renovation or cleaning must not only pay for the service, but an extra levy of £30-£50 per gravestone.

This is a charge which three Orthodox London burial societies - the Western Marble Arch, the United Synagogue and Federation - levy on the stonemason, which is then passed on to the customer.

One of those hit by the charge was Mildred Barnett, 85, who booked a mason to clean her parents' gravestones at Cheshunt cemetery in Hertfordshire, run by the Western Marble Arch Synagogue. When she was sent the bill, she noticed an extra charge of £60.

"I couldn't believe it," said Mrs Barnett, a member of Ilford Synagogue for more than 60 years. "Surely, it is better for cemeteries to have clean, presentable stones. I live on a pension of £105 a week and I paid £220 to have the gravestones renovated and then had to pay the extra £60.

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