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

This.

Bought the farm to avoid inheritance tax. He said so. Rich enough to buy a farm but still wants to avoid what many pay on family homes. They will pay half of what ordinary families will pay on their family homes. Why are hobby farmers a special tax free case?

This.

It's not little farms, it's huge ones.

I would genuinely love to now how? I am as working class as they come. My dad is a lorry driver and was able to semi retire based on the rates they pay those drivers nowadays, v exploiting people from the eu to come work.

my brother is also a lorry driver, my mother owns a cafe and she ended up going local and boosted her cafe sales cos of hipsters wanting local.

I work for the NHS and have seen my wages rise more than my private colleagues - unless you are directly related to realltspecific import and exports - I am sure you are just exaggerating

Exactly.

They can inherit inheritance tax free abd then sell off for houses if they want. Entitled much. The rest of us ordinary families will have houses and families will pay on that.

I do understand. I’m telling you that it’s very likely that food that comes from overseas as import will be cheaper. In many cases it is, imported under preferential tariff rates. The transportation can be included and it can still be cheaper to do this than buy British and hit domestic standards.

Of course this is all due to Brexit. Now the U.K. can secure its own deals and there is not much to stop that happening is there? And if domestic food production becomes very very expensive, then the incentive is to agree lower rates on preferential terms. No visibility on quality of production.

You will get multinational supermarkets running while supply chains. I think that is coming for the U.K.,along with cholrinated chicken, hormone beef etc.

@PCOSisaid my freedom of movement was removed from me and I now live in a country struggling to improve GDP without a free trade deal with its closest neighbour. Only idiots would collectively vote to shoot themselves in the foot like that and I'm stuck living in one. So yeah, the Brexit farmers are being asked to cough up their fair share. I care not.

I agree it’s madness. But it’s Labour so some pp will say ok

It’s not a good idea to import more and reduce food security

How Is your freedom of movement impacted? Are you a Tax payer in all the countries you want freedom of movement in? Because if so, you can apply for a visa and be granted citizenship or like a few people, who work, get digital nomad status.

Get a grip, you will asking me to brush your hair tomorrow cos your left arm hurts 😂 Your “plight” has nothing to do with uk farmers,

I agree entirely, except that - unfortunately - he is most certainly not little

He is insufferable. He was on the news with not a thing of substance to say, just bile against the BBC. Pathetic.

Tommy Robinson in full support too on X (unsurprisingly).
Reform and the far right are using this protest to try and get Labour out.

Just like they used farmers and fishermen during Brexit.

Yes and younger or tenant farmers may finally get a chance to farm their own land.
Tenant farmers get a very bad deal.

Do you think everyone should be allowed to inherit a business without paying inheritance tax, or just farmers?

I wrote an award winning thesis on the success factors in social protest. Fundamentally, you need a really good celebrity with either high credibility or high popularity. Jeremy clarksons shows have been over the globe, he has good reach, it might stand a chance of making changes to the policy but perhaps not get rid of the concept of IHT on farms altogether.

@PCOSisaid I'm not quite sure what you mean from your point but I'm not hysterical. I'm enjoying the plight of the farmers and their 'I've got to pay tax' pity party 😂

I am sympathetic to our farmers for a lot of what they deal with, but not the IHT.

The country is fucked. We all have to contribute to rebuilding it. Employers, pensioners, renters in social housing, farmers and most everyone else now has to pay the price for 14 years of Tory recklessness and incompetence.

YANBU @Coolasfeck, Jeremy Clarkson looks like the worst thing that could happen to this campaign. He's a gift to Starmer here.

Can absolutely everyone get a visa to live and work in the EU? Regardless of age, skill set, job etc? So I'd have just as much chance of living and working in the EU as someone who wants to move there from Somalia or Syria?

It’s not is wished, but it’s the logic of the market, particularly in this ugly time of the US setting tariffs upwards. I don’t think that people are that picky on origin unless they are well placed to afford it and other countries compete on price with us

Somerimes the effect is dire given the production methods but people will buy it if they are poorer. Many people barely cook - they live on ready meals, takeaways or even prepared sandwiches. Will they know or care where the content came from?

larkinthebark · Today 18:25
I was wondering if the big push for speedy assisted dying was to help farmers die before new inheritance tax.

This is the most appalling comment, you should be thoroughly ashamed. Suicide is a serious matter, farmers have one of the highest rates of suicide, even before this budget.

Personally I think it is very different. A business would be valued with reference to its cashflow on the whole, a farms valuation has very little reference to cashflow since it is just general land valuation. I think Farming needs to be a special case.

As long as you don't complain when food prices increase to cover it then "enjoy" other suffering as much as you like. Most farmers make very little income so will have to find a way to increase the price of their output.

Have you listened to any of them speak?

It's more the end of their farm. I don't get the crying laughing about that

Plus lower food security including for you too

@Beekeepingmum it remains a special case. They pay less, over longer, at a higher threshold.

According to the BMJ, cuts to public services as part of Conservative austerity policies are likely responsible for as many as 335000 excess deaths between 2012 and 2019. You know, the government largely supported by the people currently enraged about not being able to continue to pass on their multi million pound businesses tax free to their children.

Someone will buy it. And someone will fill the gap in the market to provide food. Market forces.

They can pay their tax like everyone else.