So the Overton window expanded. Just as it has expanded to incorporate some foul views about female reproductive rights and mass deportations. And what causes this expansion is the wilderness of social media, filled with obscene views and people on both sides shouting into their echo chambers. The Overton Window, which is a really odd thing to come out of a publicity campaign for a conservative think tank, merely reflects that extreme viewpoints are becoming more acceptable. The UK narratives- Brexit, anti-immigration, cutting of social budgets - has been moving consistently right for 15 years. It isn’t as simple as one issue here, one issue there. Trans is such a ridiculously minor issue, and one that definitely suits the politics of outrage which is now so popular.
Actually starting to feel sympathy for farmers now. Fancy having to listen to speeches by Badenoch and Farage, then have Clarkson foisted on you…
The political agenda has moved ridiculously left. The last 14 years has seen more immigration, more welfare, higher taxes, more government debt, huge government expansionism, net zero targets, etc etc etc There is no way anyone can look at Britain and call it a country that has moved to the right. Not anyone with any awareness of political history. Brexit was a small win for the people but the politicians ignored them and went back to pushing their globalist agenda and pretending it never happened.
How can you not feel sorry for farmers? They work so incredibly hard, yet get ****ing shafted at every opportunity. 600k just to keep the farm which they’ve worked all their lives. It’s a disgrace Why do the left sneer at them? Genuine question
https://www.sustainweb.org/blogs/nov24-farming-budget-inheritance-tax-apr/ Away from the shrill hysteria and undoubted politicising of a subject that needs some discussion, the linked article is worth a read, some quotes below that I thought relevant. “Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes,” the saying goes. Yet, until now, the latter hasn’t applied as strongly to many landowners. In the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor introduced major changes to the tax landscape that will reshape how agricultural land and businesses are passed down through generations. These changes have sparked considerable anger within the farming community, quickly turning the issue into a political flashpoint. While some are opportunistically using farmers’ frustrations to score political points, not always based on facts, this heightened focus on farming is also shining a light on the deeper-rooted issues within a much-beleaguered sector. The new rules introduce a threshold: combined agricultural and business property assets up to £1 million will still receive 100% relief, but anything above that will be taxed at an effective rate of 20%, payable over ten years interest-free. However, there are notable caveats: farmers may avoid the tax by transferring property at least seven years before death. Many will also be able to take advantage standard household tax allowances if the farm is owned by a couple, potentially pushing up amount they can pass on tax free to £3 million. The tax-free allowances will vary depending across farms, and given the historically high value of agricultural land, machinery, and buildings, many farm businesses will now need to prepare for inheritance tax in ways that were previously unnecessary. The rationale behind the changes is clear: for decades, farmland has served as a tax shelter for the wealthy. Introduced in 1992, the inheritance tax exemption for farmland allowed multi-millionaires, and in some cases billionaires, to avoid significant tax liabilities. Economist Tim Leunig pointed out that farmland became "the best way to leave £100 million to your kids," exacerbating wealth inequality and inflating land prices in the process. These inflated prices have made it difficult for new farmers to enter the industry, for tenant farmers to purchase the land they work, and for communities to buy land when it comes up for sale. In this sense, the uncapped relief has been detrimental to farming. Labour’s introduction of a cap aims to close this loophole and prevent land from being a convenient tax dodge for the ultra-rich. The government’s intention is to target wealthy landowners who use the system to avoid tax. But the policy is arguably too crude and risks ensnaring many family farms—the very farms politicians claim to support. A calm assessment is needed around where real unfairness is being introduced and technical fixes are needed. The decline in full-time agricultural workers is stark, with a 4.6% decrease in 2023 alone. The financial, physical, and mental toll of farming is driving people out of the profession and discouraging new entrants from taking it up. Supermarkets and large agribusinesses are squeezing every last drop out of the food supply chain, leaving minuscule margins for farmers. This is a deeply unfair and extractive system. A fairer and more effective approach would be to start by taxing and regulating the bigger players in the supply chain, where the real profits are made. As farmers’ frustration mounts over the new inheritance tax rules, it's crucial for the government to consider the deeper reasons fuelling this response from a sector that has endured years of what has amounted to managed decline. With farming in the political spotlight, there’s a window of opportunity to rethink a range of policies. "
Big business has pushed the global agenda more than any other factor in human history. Are you now against big business?
HIGNFY Sir Keir Starmer says the UK will be a "predictable" and "consistent" partner to China, surprising those who thought he was a reckless daredevil living on the edge. please log in to view this image
Have you ever met a poor farmer? I haven’t. They’re always pleading poverty whenever their numerous perks are threatened, yet every time I drive through farming country (in Lancashire, which I often do) there are new four by fours (not the working kind) parked in the driveway of their newly extended Ponderosa style homes. Lots of people work hard btw, including business owners. Few get the kind of special treatment farmers do.
One of the most out of touch things I’ve ever read on here, and that’s saying something. Farmers have been absolutely obliterated with taxes, laws, regulations, supermarkets ripping them off. They have been incredibly badly treated for a long time now. The fact you are blind to this… I don’t even know what to say really. You are really cruel
I don't think any farmer will say Clarkson has been foisted on them. The publicity he's brought into the farming industry has been invaluable and having someone with his connections fighting your corner is huge.
He comes over as a pompous obnoxious twat, well suited then, to share a stage with the gatemouthed gobshite Farage.
So long as we’re all clear he’s not actually a farmer - he’s a very wealthy man who bought land with a farm on it, as a low tax investment, and then made a (very successful) tv show about his favourite person - himself - and the people he paid to run it for him.
He says himself he isn't a proper farmer. He's not pretending to be something he isn't but at least he's putting the land to good use.
And in his column for the Times, he freely admitted that he bought land because his accountant told him it was a cosy little tax dodge.
The thing holding farmers hostage is the supermarkets, not inheritance tax. We should all be paying a lot more for our food, but international trade - pushed by these unfettered capitalists - means we can get food from cheaper sources. That is globalisation. In fact, we take food from places where they don't have enough, and reduce the farming variety in those countries too, just so we can pay £1 for a punnet of strawberries in winter. What I guess we need is our own set of tariffs against international trade, to rebuild our own agriculture, and to cut down on the multinationals. That will mean lot more regulation and tons of government interference!
Exactly the target the tax policy should be amended to hit. For ****s sake 20% payable over 10 years interest free.
Where does the 500 figure come from? It comes from the Treasury, which says that 500 estates will be affected by the agricultural property relief reform, external per year. There were a total of 462 inherited farms valued above £1m in 2021-22, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), external: 345 valued between £1m and £2.5m 80 at £2.5m to £5m 37 above £5m Under the new rules, those 462 farms would be affected by the 20% inheritance tax on any value above £1m (not on the whole value). The normal rate of inheritance tax is 40%. However, as Dan Neidle - founder of the independent Tax Policy Associates - points out, like for the rest of the population, there is no inheritance tax to be paid on the value of property up to £325,000, bringing the untaxed total to £1.325m. If a farmer is married, his or her spouse would be able to pass on another £1.325m tax free, taking the total untaxed amount to £2.65m. There were 117 farms valued above £2.5m in 2021-22, according to the HMRC figures, external. In addition, there is a £175,000 tax-free allowance on a main residence when it is being passed on to children or grandchildren. This brings the total untaxed amount for a farming couple to up to £3m. It is quite hard to get excited about this.
For the record, I’m not anti farmer. I’m not even anti Clarkson, who does talk considerable bollocks but also makes good tv shows. But if Labour are upsetting the landed gentry - and that’s what’s really happening here - they’re doing what Labour governments should do.
I was just saying this to a friend at work. We both said the press seems fully onboard with farmers protestor when no other group gets that grace. Almost as if the wrong class of people has been crossed.
