'Inheritance tax could force me to sell my farm and not pass it on' says Kent farmer
Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch visited Romshed Farm in Sevenoaks where she vowed to end the tax changes for farmers
A farmer from Kent has told us changes to inheritance tax could force her to sell her farm and not pass it onto her children.
It follows on from yesterday's visit to Romshed Farm in Sevenoaks where Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch vowed to end the family farm tax if Labour doesn't reverse it.
Speaking after her visit Mrs Badenock said: "They are making decisions which are going to impact farming in this country forever.
"It is an immoral and cruel tax, Labour should reverse it, and I have promised that the minute Conservatives get into government, if Labour do not reverse this - we will.
"Farmers should not have to sell their land and sell their equipment to pay a tax."
"It doesn't make any sense at all. It's been dreamt up by people who don't understand farming and don't understand how it works in this country."
Felicity Western is the owner of Romshed Farm, she explained the impact it could have on her family, she said: "Due to our soil and our landscape, the perfect farming for us is livestock, which not highly profitable.
"To put it bluntly we make each year just enough to pay for one full time salary, which is £35,000 - that's all we make in one year.
"The income from this farm is tiny but the value of the land on this farm is enormous, over £5 million, so the inheritance tax is going to be enormous but it's not justified due to the amount that we make.
"In our case, if we die and we haven't made arrangements over the inheritance tax then the farm will have be be sold, or bits of land will have to be sold but that becomes uneconomic so it's really devastating for farming, families and the environment."
A Government spokesperson said: “This is a fair and balanced approach which helps fix the public services we all rely on.”
They added: “Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast and we’re clear food security is national security. That’s why we are investing £5 billion into farming and helping to boost profits for farmers by backing British produce.
“Our Agricultural Property Relief reforms mean three quarters of estates will continue to pay no tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half what most people would pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free.”
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