Had you been in central London last Tuesday, you would have been forgiven for thinking that you were in one of our famous Lincolnshire rural market towns or villages. Throughout Whitehall and in front of a set stage outside Downing Street, at the encouragement of the campaign organisers, farmers from across our country gathered in green coats, wellies, and flat caps to protest the impact of the recent Budget on their livelihoods.
While wearing wellies in Westminster might confuse tourists and civil servants, the message that farmers sent to the Government last week is a clear one. The Government’s Family Farm Tax threatens the future of family farms, not just in Lincolnshire, but across the whole country.
Alongside supporting the protest and mass lobby event, I was pleased to be able to meet with a number of local farmers from across our area in Parliament that afternoon. I made clear to them that I will always stand by our local farmers, and I will continue to do what I can in Parliament to push the Labour Government to scrap their Family Farm Tax.
As the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, set out in her Budget last month, proposed changes to the current Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief measures mean that many farmers will no longer be able to pass on their farms to future generations when they pass away without facing a significant tax bill.
These changes not only result in farms that have been cared for and passed down through families for generations facing potentially being broken up and sold off, but risk the future of family farms who are the bedrock of our nation’s food security.
As well as farmers, other small family business owners also face being impacted by these changes. Cutting Business Property Relief will act as a disincentive for family businesses to invest in new equipment, take risks, and expand their business if the potential gains associated with this cannot not be realised by future generations. Not only does this limit entrepreneurial aspiration in our country, but again risks the future of family businesses who drive growth and job creation.
I know that in our area especially, there are so many small business owners who work hard each day to turn their ideas into reality.
That is why I am pleased to share that I will be bringing Google to Grantham next week, where they will share their expertise, completely free of charge, to help local businesses make use of technology to better reach customers, improve their operations, and grow their business.
I would encourage all local business owners to sign-up as soon as possible via my website or social media.
Whether small businesses on our high street or farmers around our rural villages, even without the potential impact of the Government’s plans, our local businesses need our support to continue to thrive.
