Dear Chancellor please consider a u-turn on farm tax

Dear Rachel Reeves

We are penning this open letter to you to highlight significant concerns raised by our readers and farmers in the county regarding the proposed changes to inheritance tax and their potential impact on family farming in Cumbria.

These changes could signal the death knell for many family farms in the county.

Currently, there is stark disparity between the figures provided by the Treasury and those from the National Farmers' Unon (NFU).We challenge your assertion that these changes would only affect the "richest estates", as many modest family farms will easily exceed the £1 million threshold.

We are calling on the Government to open a dialogue with farming leaders, to press for an urgent independent impact assessment of the changes, and to push for long-term commitment from the Government to ensure our family farms can provide a sustainable future.

Last week we launched a Campaign to support our farmers, and many MPs, businesses and organisations have stepped forward to endorse this with a show of strength and concerns about the impact that the changes will have on what is a major player in Cumbria - our farmers.

Yours sincerely,

Newsquest Cumbria

The Cumberland News is standing shoulder to shoulder with Cumbria's farmers as we call on the Government to rethink its crippling farm tax plan but we need your help! Find out more about our campaign here. 

One MP who is backing our Campaign is Shadow Defra Secretary, Victoria Atkins, who sent us this personal message:

"From Ulverston in South Lakeland to Carlisle on the Scottish border, farming is a core part of the economy in the region, a region characterised by the many upland farms dotted around the vast mountainous landscape, where the native Herdwick sheep, the guardians of the fells, have been reared for generations.

"The Conservative Party understands this – and the responsibilities of farming families in their stewardship of the countryside. The Conservative party has always been the champion of our farming communities across the whole country.

"Unfortunately, that statement can’t be said for Labour whose Family Farm Tax is a huge threat to farmers in counties such as Cumbria, where upland farms, commandeering vast rugged landscapes, have been passed down from generation to generation.

"As the proud MP of an agricultural seat in Lincolnshire for nearly a decade, I have never known an issue that has united rural communities like this.

"Keir Starmer pledged that Labour would look after farmers. Steve Reed, the Defra Secretary, promised before the election that Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) would not be changed.

"They have broken their promises and distressed farmers by introducing this unfair tax. It will devastate family farms in places such as Penrith and Kendal, put at risk British food security and increase food prices and contribute to higher inflation.

"Labour have made a political choice to target family farms and because they don’t understand businesses the impact of their Family Farm Tax, the National Insurance hike and other taxes will be felt, not just by the farmers they betrayed, but by families across the country paying higher food prices.

"Of course, abuse of the tax system must be tackled, but those British families who are asset-rich and cash-poor are the ones that Labour is targeting. The wealthiest landowners will be able to afford lawyers to litigate and plan their way out of Labour’s tax raid. The ones who will struggle are tenant farmers and those in the middle.

"This is why the Conservatives have promised to reverse the Family Farm Tax when in government.

"Once these family farms are gone, they are gone – and we will feel the consequences a long time after this Labour Government is removed from office. Our countryside and our villages, hamlets, market towns and farms deserve better.

"We have launched a petition at StopTheFarmTax.com to keep up the pressure on the Government to persuade them to change their minds. I would urge people to sign the petition and send a very clear message to the Labour government."