To ask why you support the farmers, regarding inheritance tax?

[WheresFluffy]

Just that, really.
I'm interested to know why people support, or not, the farmers regarding the inheritance tax changes.

YABU - it's been done to death
YANBU - learning why people believe things is important.

I suspect very few generational farms will be sold. Please don't fall for the custodians of the land line. We can of course grow food if the farm owner changes. In fact if they are as unprofitable as is always claimed, perhaps new ownership would bring modern techniques with greater yield.

Of course farms will be sold. Even the governments own statistics show it to be 500 a year likely to be sold. New owners certainly will bring more modern ideas i.e. why grow our food in this country when it can be outsourced so much cheaper, grown with pesticides that are banned in this country? The land is more profitable as housing and business estates that the rich invest in.

Saw this article on BlueSky written by Miles King.

2016
Tories Boris Johnson & Michael Gove win the Brexit referendum, meaning UK will leave the Common Agricultural Policy.
No farmer protests.

2017
Tory Government under Theresa May commits UK to leave the Single Market/Customs union. These mechanisms allow free unfettered market access for UK exports, while ensuring EU imports meet the same welfare/environmental standards as UK grown produce.
No Farmer Protests.

2018
Michael Gove leads "landmark Agriculture Bill, to deliver green Brexit" promising farmers to get as much in new farm payments for public goods, as they got before from the CAP.
Meanwhile ERG Tories push for "No Deal Brexit' which would be catastrophic for UK farmers.
No farmer protests

Wars between rival Tory factions continue over whether to pursue a no-deal Brexit or not.
Work to develop new post-Brexit ELMS scheme to pay farmers for public goods continues at snail's pace.
Boris Johnson illegally prorogues Parliament.
No farmer protests.

Boris Johnson pushes through with his plans for a hard Brexit. UK leaves the EU. Timetable laid out for farmers to lose their CAP subsidies. Still no sign of the ELMS scheme that will replace them. Rishi Sunak announces he will abolish Red Diesel subsidy for farmers.
No farmer protests.

Still no sign of the post-Brexit public goods payment scheme, apart from one small pilot for Sustainable Farming Incentive. CAP payments start to be reduced.
Ominous sounds from the Tories about Trade Deals which will undermine UK food production.

No farmer protests

Roll out of post-Brexit farm payments delayed further. Boris Johnson ousted.
UK signs trade agreements with Australia & New Zealand threatening domestic beef/lamb production. UK fails to benefit from post-Covid economic bounce in EU, stymied by export barriers.
No farmer protests.

Post-Brexit farm payments launched chaotically. Ukraine war production costs. CAP subsidies continue to reduce, farmers can't get ELMS payments. Farm exports to EU continue to be badly affected by Brexit.
Tories plan to remove tax breaks from double cab pick ups.
No farmer protests.

Labour wins General Election.

Labour announce changes to Inheritance Tax - to stop the very wealth using farmland as a tax shelter. The changes mean a few hundred of the largest farms and estates per year, will pay Inheritance Tax, but with 50% off.

Multiple Farmer Protests!

Also one farmer admits the IHT is simply the straw that broke the camel's back. The Right wing have seized on this opportunity to bring down the government via the farmers.

BurntBroccoli
Saw this article on BlueSky written by Miles King
No farmer protests

I'm not on BlueSky but a quick google reveals a number of farmers' protests and demonstrations across those years although not all because of Brexit:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/23/farmers-march-on-london-in-latest-cry-for-help-for-embattled-ind/
https://www.itv.com/news/2019-08-15/sheep-herded-along-whitehall-by-anti-brexit-campaigners
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-54736413
https://www.itv.com/news/2021-10-04/is-there-a-pig-farming-crisis-and-will-it-affect-christmas-dinners
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/video-farmers-block-supermarket-depots-in-price-protests
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/15/british-farmers-plan-more-french-style-tractor-protests-this-weekend

BurntBroccoli
meaning UK will leave the Common Agricultural Policy

The EU's Common Agricultural Policy is flawed and much criticised across the political spectrum. There's no reason why England (and the devolved nations) could not shape better policies of their own. Not to mention that we were paying billions of pounds each year in contributions to support French farmers.

ensuring EU imports meet the same welfare/environmental standards as UK grown produce

The EU couldn't ensure that Poland produced food to the same welfare standards as the UK. How is the EU going to ensure welfare/environmental standards with the Mercosur trade deal?

https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/nature-food/47322/want-to-do-something-good-for-farmers-stop-the-eu-mercosur-trade-deal/
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/irish-ngos-warn-mercosur-will-speed-up-collapse-of-family-farms/
https://www.politico.eu/article/mercosur-deal-farmers-france-country-eu-bloc-trade-south-america/

Surely this no inheritance tax should be extended to other businesses. Own a private hotel/boarding house or portfolio of rental properties shouldn't the owner be able to hand them down to their children free of inheritance tax?

Has anybody pointed out yet that all the tractors blocked in an ambulance that was doing blues and twos trying to get through and couldn’t? Due a Five year sentence I believe all the numberplates were visible.

Other types of family businesses will be affected by the changes to Business Property Relief (BPR) although I'm not sure which types previously qualified;

https://www.gravita.com/big-changes-ahead-for-inheritance-tax-relief-on-businesses/

And that's been the issue with the media coverage on this - it's focused on farmers.

But owners of trading businesses (a portfolio of rental properties isn't considered a trading business for this purpose) could, until the budget pass on their business effectively iht free by using business property relief. As apr, this has now been restricted to £1m

Many businesses will be affected.

When millionaires protest in their tractors, and ambulances are blocked, nothing happens.

When ordinary people protest for a liveable climate, people are sent to jail just for talking to one another over zoom!

Fucking outrageous, whatever your views on the actual issues being protested about.

The right to peaceful protest, even if disruptive, belongs to everyone.

I've just googled that and a video clip posted on X only lasts 14 seconds with several tractors obviously adjusting their steering to move out of the way (but not necessary in the end?) Is there a longer clip or did the ambulance get through after 14 seconds?

@Clavinova
Those protests were really small in comparison and the much poorer hill and sheep farmers were right to be worried about Brexit. I also think because the popular Jeremy Clarkson is the figurehead, these have received widespread media attention and coverage. I think he got a big cheer from farmers when he arrived!

Every Facebook page that is remotely connected to farming is showing clips and photos of tractors driving in protest convoys. These are UK wide and also supported by the likes of Farage and Tommy Robinson.

My first link mentions 1,000 protesters so not that tiny. Also, to add to my previous list, more than 100 tractors rolled past the Houses of Parliament in March this year;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68655661

I also think because the popular Jeremy Clarkson is the figurehead, these have received widespread media attention and coverage.

Well yes, although not forgetting of course that Clarkson backed Remain in the referendum.

These are UK wide and also supported by the likes of Farage and Tommy Robinson

Also supported by the likes of Ed Davey and the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SNP.

Can you show me the government statistic showing 500 were likely to be sold?

It was referenced on Channel 4 news program, with Krishnan Guru-Murthy interviewing a Labour person, talking about the inheritance tax issues. Worth looking up, the interview was quite thorough.

Could you possibly link it. I can't think of any of the figures put out by anybody that could categorically say that 'x' farms will be sold. Just that 'x' numbers will be worth more than the threshold. In which case they are still getting a better deal on IHT than the general public.