Wednesday, 27 November 2024 11:25

Farmer fury

Written by  Milking It

OPINION: The new Labour Government in the UK is facing the wrath of farmers. Last week thousands of farmers and their supporters converged in London protesting changes to inheritance tax for farmers announced in the Budget.

From April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the tax at 20% - half the usual inheritance tax rate.

However, many farmers argue that while they are asset rich, in terms of land and livestock, they are cash poor and the changes would mean they would have to sell up to be able to pay the tax.

The Government is not budging, saying it understood farmer concerns, but claiming that the vast majority would be unaffected. The farmers are not done yet, so Londoners can expect more fireworks.

More like this

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is polluting the environment.

Fieldays goes urban

OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard yakka.

Tough trade

OPINION: Known for serious trade negotiations with global politicians, top NZ trade official Vangelis Vitalis also knows how to crack jokes.

King's Honour stuff

OPINION: The release of the King's Birthday Honours list would normally be Milking It's cue to moan about how agriculture, the backbone of the economy, had again been overlooked.

Free speech

OPINION: The Free Speech Union is taking this one too far.

Featured

Top innovators announced

The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

RainWave set to cause a splash

Traditional spreading via tankers or umbilical systems have typically discharged effluent onto splash-plates, resulting in small droplet sizes, which in…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is…

Fieldays goes urban

OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter