By making Jeremy Clarkson their spokesperson, Farmers have shot themselves in the foot

[Coolasfeck]

JC openly admitted to becoming a farmer to avoid IHT. Why do farmers think having him as the figurehead will help them? Just because he’s off the telly doesn’t mean ordinary people will support him. It makes them all appear to be out of touch millionaires.

Feels like a spectacular own goal. Either that or the media is setting them up by making him the focus.

Quote from Sky News:

‘Those generous reliefs have made agriculture an attractive investment for those seeking to shelter wealth from the taxman.

Clarkson, the UK's highest profile farmer - and opponent of the government's plans - said as much when promoting his Amazon series about becoming the proprietor of Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.

"Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. The government doesn't get any of my money when I die. And the price of the food that I grow can only go up," he told the Times.

Mr Clarkson is far from alone. Private and institutional investors, along with so-called "lifestyle" farmers funding purchases from previous careers, like the former Top Gear presenter and his Oxfordshire neighbour, the Blur bassist Alex James, now dominate agricultural land purchases.’

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/whats-the-beef-with-farmers-inheritance-tax-13256257

You are being unreasonable because no farmer has made him a spokesperson. He's not representing any farmer's body or organisation. He's turning up at events as himself, and he's getting media because he's a media personality.

I understand what you’re saying, but they’re just farmers. Too busy to spend days organising and campaigning. They need some clout and fast. I think they’ll take any support they can’t get with this one.

Which farmers have made him a spokesman? I am a farmer and I certainly haven't and I'm not aware of any that have. I'm aware he is on the march today and adding his support but I for one am not sure that's helpful as it seems to me that its people like him who have been at least partially responsible for this. It seems to me that the tax is being introduced to stop people like him who have made their fortune elsewhere using farm land to avoid tax and farmers are suffering as a result.
I, like most farmers I know, like the the TV show Clarkson's Farm, it has highlighted the difficulties of farming but its obvious it is all being done to make an interesting TV show, no real farmer has money to throw away on silly schemes like he does but it obviously pays off if a TV company is funding it.
Personally I am waiting for things to settle before I make my mind up about how this is actually going to affect us, we have been talking about signing land over to the next generation early if necessary and it might have the advantage of lowering land prices making it easier for younger farmers to get started. Time will tell.

He's done great work highlighting how tough it is to farm. He also makes it clear he is lucky with having other sources of income. Its great he is speaking out for farmers....

He is the face of the campaign whether farmers like it or not.

A millionaire hobby farmer, who openly said he bought the land to dodge tax. Who boats about killing protected species. He’s exactly the kind of person the government is targeting.

First three million tax free… and let’s not forget they barely raised a murmur about the amount of income they lost due to Brexit.

They should be more taxed for the river pollution alone.

No idea why they think they are such a special case .. what other occupation shouod be exempt?

This….pay your bloody way, everyone else has to.

Clarkson is a popular figure-the Reform/less thoughtful Tory tendency love him. I think it's an inspired choice.

That is a really interesting post, thank you.

He does represent the type of farmer Labour want to target to be fair.
Reflects badly on the rest of them though

As soon as they began to interview him I switched the radio off. They can choose who they like but not everyone wants to see or hear him.

He's now saying he didn't buy a farm to avoid IHT but rather so he could go shooting. He's odious.

And he has the nerve to accuse the government of lying. Repulsive hypocrite.

I agree. An utterly vile little man

How many farms will be impacted by this? I’m afraid I’ve little sympathy for Clarkson and his ilk whose estates should be paying their way like everyone else’s. If it hurts less wealthy farmers’ heirs then that’s problematic and yes, the disagreeable Clarkson is definitely the wrong figurehead.

Katie Hopkins is also at the demo … just need Farage and 50p Lee to rock up

Farage was there. No clue who 50p Lee is though.

I disagree, I work as an Estate Manager. The same job as ‘Cheerful Charlie’ on Clarksons Farm. Jeremy Clarkson is giving shining a light on agriculture that people are paying attention to vs the romanticised Countryfile version regularly portrayed on TV.

If farmland is worth £10,000 an acre you don’t need a very big farm to reach the limit when you account for houses, farm buildings, machinery etc… particularly in expensive parts of the country.

Please excuse my ignorance asking this: how might signing land over to the next generation early lower land prices?

It will make land banking less attractive to the very rich who will look for some other tax minimisation scheme so land prices might fall if there is less demand.

…at least shooting themselves in the foot, stops them from shooting protected birds

@Wellingtonspie 50pLee is the deeply unpleasant Lee Anderson. Personally I object to giving him a nickname-humanising him is a bad thing.

Farmers voted for Brexit and are now complaining because the richest 25% will have to pay tax.

They're being joined by Clarkson, Farage and Katie Hopkins.

I support them! Loves me some tax dodging rich people.

Refarmers … a sub-group of Reform ..

Hope they tax Grouse Shooting out of existence .. monoculture ruining the biodiversity of the countryside, so a few rich boys can dress in tweed, leaving piles of rotting birds behind

So who would you like their spokesperson to be? You? Are you going to stick up for them? Or are you just going to complain when our bread tastes like the crap they have in America.

what an utterly stupid post.

@MarkWithaC if you gift assets seven years before you die then no IHT is due. The average age of a farmer is somewhere in the 60s. If they pass their farms over to their children when their children are young they reduce potential of IHT becoming due. Equally putting the farm into trust will minimise IHT.