Wear wellies to school to support farmers?

[GrumpyDullard]

My DC's school sent out a message this afternoon to say all kids should wear wellies to school tomorrow to support British farmers. I googled it and found out it's a campaign to oppose the removal of the inheritance tax exemption from agricultural land.
We're a rural community so a lot of parents will support the campaign, which is fair enough, but it seems wrong to force everyone's kids to take part in a protest against the government without even explaining what it's about. I'm afraid my DC will stand out if they're not in wellies, but I don't want to take part in this.

This

I have to say though that those people thinking this tax means the land will be enjoyed by aspiring farmers wanting to follow their dreams - it won't be. It will be bought by developers. Wannabe farmers will in 99% of cases not have the knowledge, skills, infrastructure or capital to buy some land and begin farming it's farcical to believe that could be the outcome.

Schools are not the place for political protests, I’d be complaining too. We are surrounded by farms but not heard from school on this. Why are they protesting this tax? Why not all the cuts over the last 14 years? Or the closure of our local A and E?

Sounds politicial. I agree with the changes to IHT and I'd tell the school to take a hike.

I now feel like I can't wear my wellies at all in case people think I'm supporting wealthy landowners to avoid paying tax that applies to anyone else.

Given the funding crisis in schools it seems a strange priority to protest IHT being imposed on multi-millionaire landowners.

@Toastandbutterand it ought to be common knowledge, but it seems that everyone who I give this info to is unaware. It’s crazy, but we all know what tge agenda is, why people don’t know about this. Yet he’s often given air time on television programmes to portray the caring and innovative farmer.

That website I linked in my previous comment is very interesting - another fun fact is that there’s a huge amount of land in England that has unrecorded ownership - Land Regustry doesn’t have records and the ownership information is very difficult to obtain. This land is in private and elite hands, passed down untaxed and giving no benefit to the public good.

I know several farmers - believe me they ARE NOT wealthy. Not a single one of them have nice cars - they are old battered land vehicles.

The farms were passed down in generations and they have worked the fields to produce food for everyone - which the government have spent YEARS making it harder and harder to do this. The Tories have done this too - it’s not just Labour.

The farmers have been being paid NOT to work the land - meaning less food available. Many have had to do this because of sky high material prices and new regulations. Farmers have actually been under attack for a while. Welsh farmers have been decimated because of it.

It’s a land grab and nothing more the vast majority of these families are not money rich at all.

Id be supporting this in a heartbeat

Good for you emailing the school op, it won't change anything now but if a few do it it might help refocus their minds on how primary children are not pawns to be used to make political points.

@SweetSakura

You can own a £1 million farm and still be extremely cash poor. And these farms have been in the family for hundreds of years sometimes. The people who inherit them have already been working on the land, providing food for the country all of their lives. They have earned their farm, they are not inheriting it for nothing.

I very much doubt a teacher came up with the idea…we just get told what’s happening…

My child has to wear wellies to school today as it’s tipping it down! I wouldn’t be keeping her in them all day though. She’ll be putting her school shoes on when we get there for comfort.

I'm a farmer's daughter and grew up on a tenant farm. Loads of farmers in the UK are tenant farmers so will not be affected by this. The people that may are the landlords who own say 20 farms. Seems pretty fair to me to redistribute some of this inherited wealth. If that is, loopholes have not already been found by the very wealthy.

Very poor of the school BTW. Well done on complaining.

A CoL crisis which will be exacerbated by businesses passing on the tax rises to consumers. What a spectacular own goal...

I'd tell the school to fuck off and stop imposing their political views on the parents.

I expect children will be in wellies today due to the snow.

Tragically, a farmer local to me took his own life very recently due to the dire state farming is in. This new bill will be the final nail in the coffin for many.

Mine would have a day off. As they would if asked to participate in any party political action.

As PPs predicted, we've got a couple of inches of snow here, so we'll have to wear wellies anyway, but they will be apolitical wellies.

@Bluebellyhedge

I agree the rich farmers with the money and profits in the bank should pay tax. But I've heard of loads of cash poor farmers who have been caught up in this who cannot afford to, which is wrong.

But married couples are able to claim £1m each tax free as well as a family home worth up to £1m, the tax rate is half the normal 40% and they have ten years to pay.

Contact the governors to say you note that the school is now taking part in political protests and to ask when they're having an anti-poverty or an anti-hunting day.

I suppose "Wear wellies to school to support millionaires who have bought up vast swathes of land as part of a tax avoidance scheme" doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Get out of here with your facts! Don't you know we're all hyperbole here?

It’s a snow day today and mine are wearing wellies anyway, however all the local farmers’ children go to private school, so wouldn’t appreciate this show of solidarity.

That's so funny. I can't decide whether it will be a boost to those who want to drag schoolkids into inappropriate political posturing, or a complete sabotage of their scheme.
I would be tempted to customise my kids' wellies to make it clear that they were only there for the purposes of keeping feet dry.

#LetWelliesBeWellies

But if the issue is passing on the family business could it not be resolved using a company structure (like any other family business)? Keep the house separate, but have the rest of the farm/plant owned by the company? Then when the director dies, the new directors take over? The company hasn't died so there is no inheritance tax? I haven't researched it so maybe I'm missing something