A very Happy New Year to all readers of this column in the Epping Forest Guardian.
The western part of my Brentwood and Ongar constituency is largely rural, with a significant part of the land around Ongar and the surrounding villages being used for agriculture and farm-based businesses.
Some of my local farming constituents own their farms, others are tenant farmers, but all are affected by the Labour Government’s Family Farm and Business Tax which the Labour Party voted to implement, through the Finance Bill, just before Christmas.
The fields and countryside around Ongar and Epping are a vital part of the green belt which provides the lungs of London, giving a clear distinction between urban sprawl and the gentler pace of living cherished by those living in this area.
I, and my Parliamentary colleagues, recognise the threat to farmers and rural life and we are committed to reversing Labour’s cruel Family Farm Tax if they do not scrap it. Despite a slight change to the value at which the Family Farm Tax would be levied, thousands of farms across the UK will still be hit by new inheritance tax laws.
With rising food prices, record farm closures, and plummeting farmer confidence, now is the time to support British farmers, not punish them with the Family Farm Tax.
It is clear the Prime Minister does not have a plan to get a grip on the public finances, and his Government – which has no understanding of rural life or the importance of family farms - is now punishing farmers because of his failures.
I am committed to supporting the farmers, their families and all those who work in rural industries across Brentwood and Ongar, and will continue to campaign to get Labour to scrap the Family Farm and Business tax that will damage British farming and family businesses which are so important to our country, wellbeing and way of life.
