Axe the Tax: Chancellor has one week left to “do the right thing” for farmers and local business across North Yorkshire

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has today warned the Government that they have just one week left to “see sense” and scrap the devastating Family Farm Tax before it comes into effect on the 6th of April. With less than a week remaining until the changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) come into force, Tom Gordon MP has called on the Chancellor to perform a final U-turn to protect the future of British food security and rural livelihoods. Farmers are already being hammered by the cost-of-living crisis and are now under even greater pressure from rising fuel, fertiliser and feed prices due to Donald Trump’s illegal Iran war - all while often surviving on only razor thin margins.

Changes to Business Property Relief (BPR) will come into effect at the same time and threaten havoc on family-owned businesses. Family businesses including BnBs and shops across the area, such as Bettys who have multiple family shareholders facing a similar hike.

The Government has already been forced into a partial retreat following a backlash from the farming community and campaigning from the Liberal Democrats. While the threshold for 100% relief was begrudgingly raised to £2.5 million last year, the Liberal Democrats have branded this a half-measure that still leaves far too facing effective tax rates of 20% on assets above the limit.

Dozens of farms within the constituency borders of Harrogate and Knaresborough alone will be hit by the tax, not to mention those further afield in the Dales who are deeply entwined with our local economy. Tom visited local farms last year to see first-hand the challenges they are facing and discuss how the tax affects smaller, independent farms the hardest while allowing multinational farming corporations to circumvent the new rules.

Tom said:
"Family farms and businesses are the backbone of our community. We cannot stand
by while they are pushed to the brink by a tax that is as unfair as it is short-sighted." 

The Government’s partial U-turn was a clear admission that they got this wrong, but
tinkering at the edges just won’t do. By refusing to scrap this tax in full, the
Chancellor's cavalier approach is putting our food security at risk.

"We have been undermined for years by botched Conservative trade deals, and now
they are being hammered by a Labour Government that simply does not understand
the countryside."
“The Government has one week left to do the right thing”