A group of 13 Isle of Wight farmers travelled to London earlier this week to join the mass protest against Labour’s anti-farming tax hike.
Joe Robertson, Member of Parliament for Isle of Wight East, met with some of the group in Westminster on Tuesday to discuss Labour’s punitive inheritance tax hike for family farms. The farmers from the East Wight also met Shadow DEFRA Secretary, Victoria Atkins.
Joe is a firm supporter of farmers and the rural economy having met with the CLA and the NFU on local farm visits since becoming MP.
Estimates say the march saw as many as 15,000 farmers and supporters in Westminster to peacefully protest the decision by Labour to break their promise to not tax farming families.
Following the meeting, Joe Robertson MP said:
“The Government is pushing ahead with the new ‘Family Farm Tax’ which is a betrayal of our rural communities, including here on the Island.
“Farming isn’t a job or a career. It is a way of life, and it should be protected. To ask farming families to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in tax is not credible – particularly when many family farms are struggling to get by.
“I was pleased to meet with five farmers from East Wight today, and I hope my Labour MP colleagues will join me in standing firmly against these changes and call for a U-turn on this misguided decision.”
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Farmers from the West Wight were also involved in the protest.
Louise Hart and Debs Wainwright from Calbourne Classics joined Robyn Munt and the rest of the IW National Farmers Union team to discuss the new tax with Labour’s Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) in the Houses of Parliament.
Mr Quigley is said to have given verbal support to the local farmers stating that ‘one farm lost is one too many’.
Louise has said:
“This resonates deeply on the Isle of Wight, where family farms are vital to our economy and community.
“The proposed tax threatens the island’s local food networks and tourism, risking disastrous ripple effects. With his support and growing momentum in Parliament, with an apparent 70 Labour MPs set to challenge the treasury’s proposal on family farm tax, the fight is on”.
Maybe stop buying Range Rovers, Barbour jackets and
Hunter Wellington Boots, oh and also send
your children to state schools, not private schools,
the money you will save will pay towards the inheritance tax.
So if I invest money in farmland and use that land to make a profit through farming wwhich provides food for people my estate should be exempt from inheritance tax but if I use the same money to build a factory which makes shoes for people to wear my estate will be liable for inheritance tax. Since both provide essential commodities, why should they be treated differently. Surely, if I want to hand on my farmland tax free to my children or grandchildren I can use the tax laws already available and gift it to them early enough that I live beyond the required seven years. Meanwhile, very wealthy people are buing up farmland and pushing up the price (and thereby the tax liability for farmers) as a tax avoidance measure which is starving other public services of much needed investment to feed their personal greed.
Shoe factories, like farming business were previously able to get Business Property Relief. All business are effected by these tax changes. It’s an inheritance tax on all family business that are over 1-3m in size.
Listed companies and government don’t ‘die’ so avoid this tax by default! It’s a tax on all medium-large family businesses. Which doesn’t just effect the owners, it effects all their staff and business operations. Many business, and lots of farms, become unviable with a 20% tax on total value of business.
Hiring a good Accountant will sort out any tax
issues.
The wealthy have been doing it for years, hence them
NEVER paying inheritance tax.
ONLY POOR PEOPLE PAY INHERITANCE TAX
Quigley is speaking up for the farmers, yet he went
against the Pensioners re their winter fuel allowance
Disappointing