BRITONS ELECT COMMUNISTS, DISCOVER COMMUNISM ISN’T SO GREAT, ACTUALLY: Thousands of British farmers protest against ‘tractor tax’ on inheritance.
The measure, dubbed the tractor tax by critics and announced in the new government’s budget last month as it sought to raise funds, has drawn an angry backlash from farmers who say the ruling Labour Party does not understand rural communities.
The protesters held placards stating “no farmers, no food, no future” and “Starmer the farmer harmer”, in reference to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Police estimated about 10,000 protesters took part.
Farmer Emma Robinson, 44, said she was “absolutely livid” and would take part in measures to disrupt food supplies if the government did not back down.
Robinson said her farm in northwest England had been in her family for 500 years and she was going to pass it on to her children.
“It’s being taken out of my hands by someone that’s been in parliament for literally days,” she said.
The passing of farms down through generations was tax-free, but under the policy set out by finance minister Rachel Reeves, from 2026, 20% tax would be paid on the value of a farm above 1 million pounds.
Existing personal allowances, which a married couple can combine, takes the threshold for a farm and associated property up to 3 million pounds.
Farmers say that while their land and machinery has a high value, the farms themselves have low profit margins, meaning their children would have to sell land to cover the tax bill.
Easy call: the buyers will be well-connected.
