UK farm inheritance tax dispute: Government numbers dont add up for experts
A heated debate erupts over UK farm inheritance tax calculations with Treasury estimates differing from farming groups. Different counting methods show gap between 500 and 70000 affected farms
The UK Treasury faces strong pushback from farming groups and MPʼs about its new inheritance tax rules impact calculations. The governments claim that only 29% of farms will face new taxes doesnt match with other estimates showing much higher numbers
National Farmers Union and the Treasury are using different methods to count affected farms: the government looks at yearly tax relief claims (about 500) while NFU counts all commercial farms making more than £21‚000 profit yearly. The Treasuryʼs numbers show roughly 60‚610 farms might pay more tax starting Apr-2026‚ but they say its not that simple
The Country Land and Business Association took another path - they checked farms bigger than 50 hectares (these farms worth more than £1m based on todays land prices). Their math shows about 70‚000 farms will face new rules; this matches NFUʼs estimate of 68‚970 farms
- Treasury counts yearly estates that claim tax relief
- NFU looks at profitable working farms
- CLA bases count on farm size and land value
A BBC article quoted Dan Neidle (described as independent tax expert) supporting Treasuryʼs low numbers. The government didnt do full study of new rules impact - they say tax planning and business setup will help many farms avoid extra costs‚ but farming groups dont agree with this view
