Dozens of 'angry' farmers contact Aylesbury Vale MPs over inheritance tax changes
Farmers in Aylesbury Vale have written to their local MPs expressing their anger at inheritance tax changes announced in the Autumn Budget.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) sent a letter on behalf of farmers to Callum Anderson and Laura Kyrke-Smith, the MPs for Buckingham and Bletchley, and Aylesbury, respectively. According to the CLA, 40 farmers and businesses signed the letter to Mr Anderson with 25 signing the one addressed to Ms Kyrke-Smith.
Letters were sent to the politicians prior to today’s protests that have seen thousands of farmers head to London to demonstrate in Parliament Square.
From March 2026, farms worth more than £1 million will have to pay inheritance tax, at a rate of 20% on assets above £1 million in value, instead of the usual 40% rate.
Data from the CLA suggests that 70,000 farms across the UK will be impacted and it will lead to many of them being sold to pay tax bills.
Mr Anderson told The Bucks Herald: “I believe that farmers are the backbone of Britain and have visited local farms (including Boycott Farm) to hear the concerns of the agricultural community first-hand. Rural communities have been neglected in recent years, and that’s why I am proud that our Government has committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years – the largest budget for sustainable food production in our history.
“I understand that people are worried about changes to Agricultural Property Relief. However, most farms across the county – from Buckingham to Winslow – will not be affected at all. Only about 500 estates a year nationally will pay more under the new scheme than they do today, and we are preventing wealthy individuals buying up agricultural land to avoid paying inheritance tax. Up to £3 million can be passed on by two people free of inheritance tax, and anything beyond that will be taxed at half the rate of anyone else.”
Tim Bamford, regional director of the CLA in the South East covering Buckinghamshire, said: “The Chancellor’s announcement will have massive consequences for hard-pressed farmers, consumers and the environment.
“The government appears to think inheritance tax reliefs for farmers are ‘loopholes’. In reality, they are targeted reliefs designed to protect Britain’s rural economy, jobs and food security.
“This isn’t the only challenge that the farming community is facing. The real-term cut to the agriculture budget in England will mean that the government's own ambitions and targets for nature will be impossible to deliver.
“The fear and anger felt by farmers and rural businesses cannot be overstated. There is enormous growth potential in the countryside, but we need the government to be working with us, not against us.”
Aylesbury’s MP also highlighted the money allocated to farmers announced in the budget and stated a majority of farms will be unaffected by the changes. She added: “We are asking rich estates and the most valuable farms to pay their share. Depending on people’s individual circumstances, up to £3 million can be passed on by two people free of inheritance tax.
"This is a fair and balanced approach that protects small family farms in Aylesbury constituency whilst also fixing the public services that we all rely on."