Mid Sussex MP meets local farming community as Lib Dems call to ‘axe the family farm tax’
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Thousands of farmers attended a mass lobby event, organised by the National Farmers Union, at Westminster on Tuesday, November 19.
The NFU said the event was in response to the Autumn Budget announcement (October 30) on the changes to business property relief and agricultural property relief for farmers.
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Hide AdOne of the changes would mean inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1million, which were previously exempt, would be liable to inheritance tax at 20 percent from April 2026.


Liberal Democrat MP Alison Bennett said: “Family farmers across Mid Sussex have already been failed by a Conservative party that didn’t care about them – they can’t now be let down by a Labour government that doesn’t understand them. Liberal Democrats are standing up for rural communities, and calling for an axe to the family farm tax that would be disastrous for farmers across Mid Sussex.
“British farmers are already battling with sky-high energy bills and botched overseas trade deals, and this hike will only make things much worse. I am urging the Government to change course.”
On November 19, Mid Sussex farmers raised concerns with the MP, who said the tax would be concerning for the 141 farms in the constituency.
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Hide AdMrs Bennett said the latest statistics show that in 2023/24, the average Farm Business Income was lower for all farm types except for specialist pig farms. She said the government has also decided to accelerate the phase out of direct payments to farmers under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), meaning all recipients will see the base amount of their payments cut by 76 per cent next year. Mrs Bennett is calling for the government to review this urgently.
The Lib Dems said they are also calling for an additional £1 billion a year in support for farmers, and a scrap to the bus fare cap increase.
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