As the controversy over the new “tractor tax” intensifies, the former Top Gear host, who has received accolades for his reality show Clarkson’s Farm, has apparently been in discussions with organisers to deliver a speech.
Celebrities and agricultural leaders will speak at the gathering on Tuesday, while children riding toy tractors will lead a march in London. The organisers have advised attenders not to bring any farm equipment.
The extension of inheritance tax (IHT) to farms worth more than £1 million (although allowances mean most estates worth less than £3m will not pay any IHT) has already sparked protests outside the Welsh Labour conference, which have been made worse by the lack of clarity about the Treasury numbers that underpin the change.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh recently announced that food shortages will be addressed if farmers follow through on their threat to go on strike over inheritance tax plans.
Continue reading to find out more about the farmers’ rally.
Farmers are set to protest against Government changes to inheritance tax (Owen Humphreys/PA)
PA Wire
Why are the farmers protesting?
The budget delivered by Rachel Reeves extends IHT to agricultural land and has drawn criticism from farmers. It also freezes current inheritance tax thresholds for two more years from 2028 until 2030.
Currently the first £325,000 of an estate is tax free before being subject to IHT at 40 per cent, although various allowances mean for most people the actual threshold is much higher. The rate for farms will be 20 per cent as a 50 per cent relief will be available.
Farmers have claimed that they are the ones who suffer the most from a system that the extremely affluent use to evade paying IHT.
According to Clarkson last week, the government is “ethnically cleansing” the British countryside to create “immigrant towns” on farms.
“But before they can do that, they have to ethnically cleanse the countryside of farmers. That’s why they had a Budget which makes farming nigh on impossible.”
Celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson has said he will march
PA Wire
Where will the farmers meet?
The farmers’ rally is expected to start at Richmond Terrace near Westminster Tube at 11am on Tuesday November 19. During the event, a predicted 1,800 NFU members will lobby lawmakers outside Church House Westminster in three rotations of 600.
The procession will then return to Richmond Terrace for a final address by the NFU president, Tom Bradshaw.
What has the Government said?
The Government has played down worries that there would be food shortages as a result.
Daniel Zeichner, the agriculture minister, has urged people to look at the tax issue calmly. He said the Government has a “fair and balanced” approach and that “the majority of those claiming relief will not be affected by these changes”.
Mr Zeichner told BBC Politics East: “I urge people to look calmly at the details and I think they will find that the vast majority will be fine.
“The figures from the Treasury are very clear: under 500 farms a year are likely to be affected.
“And I would say to people: take advice because every person’s situation is different and there will be many, many people who will find they are not actually going to be caught by this.”
