The Labour Government

[bluethrunthru]

I don't really have an informed decision on all this farmer issue, but I do know that many are skint.
My ex husband's bachelor Uncle was a farmer. Worked every single day of his life from taking over the farm in 1964 until his death (aged 82) in 2009. Never had a days holiday in that time, ever.
The farmhouse was falling down around him in the last few years and my ex went every weekend (from about 1988) to help him with the heavier stuff around the farm.
Geoff loved that farm, to the point that when he was on the point of death at Rochdale Infirmary (prostate cancer) he insisted on going "home."
We got him there and he died within 10 mins. Even now it upsets me to remember it.

I think I'm just saying that not all farmers are cash rich.

I live on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors - town is full of moaning farmers who claim to be skint hill farmers. When you drive over the moors all the farmhouses are lovely. Fields are full of healthy sheep and to be fair a lot of them drive quite old cars and pick-ups but they will tell you they know the value of a car so they won't put sheep or hay bales in a Range Rover - the wives drive them. And their insufferable offspring all drive Corsa's and quad bikes like twats too.

 

[BobKowalski]

It’s not the threshold. It’s the affordability of it for those that have to pay it. They don’t earn enough to mortgage the land to pay for it. That’s where the anger is coming from.

Really? And increasing the payment threshold for farmers is not helping that affordability by exempting them from the tax? Very odd.

Surely, the principle of exempting the majority of working farms and targeting the land speculators who drove up land prices is both just and fair.

 

[WestGorton]

Never met a poor farmer. I am sure they exist but not the landowning ones.

 

[bluethrunthru]

when the farmers go back and work on the farm tomorrow and Thursday what will the impact be on farm productivity? Will anyone notice? Before striking they need to ask themselves that question.
When doctors were on strike appointments etc were impacted.
Train drivers went on strike people couldn't get to work.
If a dairy farmer strikes (against his own business profitability ??!! ) he has to get someone to milk the cows or face huge issues and vets bills.

 

[bluethrunthru]

Never met a poor farmer. I am sure they exist but not the landowning ones.

Mostly tenant farmers in that bracket who can have their land sold from under them so it won't enter into any calculation of their tax liability

 

[mackenzie]

I live on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors - town is full of moaning farmers who claim to be skint hill farmers. When you drive over the moors all the farmhouses are lovely. Fields are full of healthy sheep and to be fair a lot of them drive quite old cars and pick-ups but they will tell you they know the value of a car so they won't put sheep or hay bales in a Range Rover - the wives drive them. And their insufferable offspring all drive Corsa's and quad bikes like twats too.

I don't doubt what you are saying there is true, I'm just pointing out that many farmers have a completely different experience.
Geoff never wanted "riches", he just wanted to be able to do what he loved.
And he effing HATED Edwina Currie with a sodding passion!

 

[WestGorton]

Mostly tenant farmers in that bracket who can have their land sold from under them so it won't enter into any calculation of their tax liability

The facts show this is a fair tax so far. It's is only 20 per cent rather than 40 per cent for non farmers like everyone else.

 

[bluethrunthru]

Surely, the principle of exempting the majority of working farms and targeting the land speculators who drove up land prices is both just and fair.

They seem to have mostly entered the market when the tax was deleted in 1984 quadrupling the cost of land so there could be two positive side effects for them which they will see if they take their heads out of Clarksons arse.

1/ if its not a tax dodge then its not attractive to speculators. Land values could fall or the gap could eventually close as there is no longer an exponential annual rise in value.
2/ if that happens the value of their land is less so the tax liability reduces - in any event having introduced the tax the govt is likely to adjust upwards too so the threshold could also change.

Sadly people have once again allowed themselves to be played by vest interests without reading into it and taking tax planning advice.

 

[bluethrunthru]

I don't doubt what you are saying there is true, I'm just pointing out that many farmers have a completely different experience.
Geoff never wanted "riches", he just wanted to be able to do what he loved.
And he effing HATED Edwina Currie with a sodding passion!

its also likely given your description Geoff's farm would have a zero IHT liability

 

[metalblue]

Really? And increasing the payment threshold for farmers is not helping that affordability by exempting them from the tax? Very odd.

Surely, the principle of exempting the majority of working farms and targeting the land speculators who drove up land prices is both just and fair.

Not sure how else to put it really. Its is an established fact that farmers are asset rich and cash poor. The issue is how they afford to pay IHT - and here they are likely facing one choice - sell some of the asset.

Now if the government said they’d bring in something like the milk marketing board (for milk and food) and/or increase tariffs on imported food then we’d be getting somewhere. Farmers would see an increase in earnings - which we’d pay for at the supermarket - and might be able to afford to mortgage to pay the IHT.