Farming industry urges PM to pause tax plans, as CLA gives evidence to EFRA Committee
President Victoria Vyvyan appears before committee to present case against capping vital inheritance tax reliefs
The farming industry has come together urging the government to rethink its inheritance tax changes, as the CLA gave evidence to the EFRA Committee.
In a joint letter sent to the Prime Minister, the CLA, NFU, Tenant Farmers Association and Central Association for Agricultural Valuers have urged him to reconsider plans to cap vital inheritance reliefs from April 2026.
The letter warns of the dire consequences of the policy for family farms and businesses, as well as tenant farmers and the wider rural economy, and calls for collaboration and consultation.
Meanwhile, CLA President Victoria Vyvyan today gave evidence to the EFRA Committee to present the case against the changes to MPs.
It was the first session of a new inquiry into the future of farming, and heard from a range of industry leaders.
Victoria told the committee the policy needed "a pause, to really consider whether there should be a full U-turn and a different approach to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief".
She added: "Don't kill us. Let us fight our way out of this corner."
The announcement, made in the October Budget, on changes to the rules on APR and BPR, has generated conflicting estimations as to the number of farms which will be affected, and the severity of the impact on them. The CLA argues 70,000 farms and businesses could be impacted.