Farmers should shut up and muck in – for the greater good

We oldies have accepted the loss of our winter fuel payments for the greater good – to fund the NHS, schools, etc (“I spend my winter fuel allowance on dinner at The Ivy”, Wednesday 20 November).

In contrast, the farming community is full of complaint about the tractor tax – one that may not actually impact many of them at all.

They should reconsider their actions and, as pensioners have done, think about the greater good.

They would do well to accept paying inheritance tax with good grace, and as a contribution to the public services we all enjoy and would like to see improved.

To help them, perhaps they might ponder the plight of old pensioners like me, who are very cold at the moment.

Lindsay Mayor

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Why were farmers given tax relief on agricultural assets in the first place? (“Inheritance tax: How out of pocket will farmers actually be?”, Tuesday 19 November).

Is it possible that the government at the time recognised that farming is a special case – that what farmers seek to pass on to the next generations is not a windfall, but their livelihoods?

The country needs farming to continue, for the benefit of us all. Perhaps Labour should consider that before pushing on with the tractor tax.

Helen Bore

Scalby, North Yorkshire

Farmers should read the small print (“Confusion over how many farms will be hit by controversial tractor tax after ‘staggering’ admission”, Thursday 14 November).

When passing on farms and houses to children, they will pay no inheritance tax unless these assets exceed £3m. By contrast, non-farming couples, who cannot claim agricultural property relief, pay 40 per cent on all assets exceeding £1m.

Unfortunately, farmers have something of a track record for crying wolf. So, when it comes to the protests over the tractor tax, the rest of us think “here we go again…” – and it seems a valid conclusion.

David Felton

Wistaston, Cheshire

The farmers chose the perfect person to lead their cause – Jeremy Clarkson! (“The last thing the farmers needed was Clarkson and Farage in cosplay”, Tuesday 19 November.)

What a hypocrite this man is. Clarkson commented in The Sunday Times that he purchased land to save inheritance tax – now, he is taking the side of British farmers just because it suits his cause.

There are a number of people like him that are wealthy and have only bought land to avoid tax. They deserve to be hit the hardest.

Paul Atkins

Burntwood, Staffordshire

Between April and September, food banks experienced a dip in demand, as your article points out (“Food bank demand dips but numbers still needing help branded ‘heartbreaking’”, Wednesday 20 November). This is partly explained by the normal seasonal cycle.

At the Canterbury food bank, as the autumn fuel bills come in and price inflation hits home, we have noticed that demand is now going up rapidly. It now almost equalled the levels reached during Covid – enough to make 12,500 meals.

Peter Taylor-Gooby

Canterbury, Kent