"More than a dozen tractors could be seen parked outside Parliament on Wednesday morning, with rush-hour traffic brought to a standstill and farmers repeatedly sounding the tractor horns while police stood watching. David Gunn, an arable farmer and agricultural contractor from near Sevenoaks in Kent, said: "Inheritance tax is going to cripple the farmers, the small family farmers." A government spokesperson previously told the BBC it was "backing British farms" with annual investment and reliefs."
"Mr Gunn said of the plans which are due to come into force in April: "There's all the other taxes they've been putting on us, and the prices we get for our produce and what it costs in the shop, we don't make any money. "Then there's food security, farmers are going out of business." He said his message to government was: "Sort the pledge out.""
"Tyler Carter, 18, from Peterborough, was also among the campaigners gathered in Trafalgar Square. He held a sign reading: "Dear London sorry I'm here to fight for my future!" When asked what the reforms would mean for him, he said: "It means my dad will be out of a job, which means I will be out of a job. "We have worked hard for what we've got and don't deserve to have it taken off us.""
Farmers drove more than a dozen tractors into central London on Budget day, parking outside Parliament and bringing rush-hour traffic to a standstill while sounding horns. Several arrests were made as police observed. The protest targeted planned inheritance tax changes introducing a 20% rate on agricultural land and businesses valued over £1m. Farmers warned the measure will cripple small family farms, exacerbate rising costs, and threaten food security and jobs. Campaigners held signs and said years of taxes and low produce prices have left many not making money. The Chancellor faced pressure to abandon the reforms.
Read at www.bbc.com
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