Thousands of UK farmers descend on Parliament to protest against inheritance tax hike

euronews (in English)

Organisers urged protesters not to bring farm machinery into central London, though some tractors drove past Downing Street covered with signs saying “the final straw” and “no farmers, no food.”

Transcript

00:00Thousands of UK farmers have descended on parliament to protest the Labour government's

00:05decision to increase inheritance tax.

00:09The hike was announced in last month's budget and would see the end to a tax break dating

00:13from the 1990s that exempts agricultural property from the levy.

00:18It means that from April 2026, farms worth more than £1 million will face a 20% tax

00:25when the owner dies and they are passed on to the next generation.

00:29Farmers say such an increase in tax will deal a hammer blow to family farms which are already

00:34struggling from the impact of climate change, global instability and the upheaval caused

00:39by Brexit.

00:40If the government ends farming, which is seemingly what it wants to do, where do we get our food

00:49from?

00:50But the UK's centre-left government says the vast majority of farms will not be affected

00:56and various loopholes mean a farming couple can pass on an estate worth up to £3 million

01:01tax free.

Category

Transcript

Recommended