Campaign launched to defend family farms and rural businesses in the South East following autumn budget
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has launched a campaign to defend family farms and rural businesses in the South East following the Chancellor’s autumn budget.
The government is capping vital inheritance tax reliefs that make it possible for family farms to pass down to the next generation, and allowing them to continue feeding the nation and looking after the environment.
The CLA believe 70,000 farms in the UK are likely to be penalised by the £1m cap - and a disproportionate amount in the South East, where land and property prices tend to be higher.
Tim Bamford, regional director of the CLA in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Thames Valley, said: "Labour promised to be the party for the countryside, for growth, and vowed not to cut inheritance tax reliefs.
“Now they have broken these promises. How can rural Britain trust them again?
“This government thinks inheritance tax reliefs for farmers are ‘loopholes’. In reality, they are targeted reliefs designed to protect Britain’s rural economy, jobs and food security.
"The fear and anger felt by farmers and rural businesses cannot be overstated. The CLA has launched a new campaign to protect their livelihoods."
Join the campaign here: https://www.cla.org.uk/news/help-the-cla-save-your-family-business/.