A farmer says he is forking out £250,000 a year already due to Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes, and now he fears his children will have to sell the business due to the inheritance tax changes. Michael Dart, 57, owns Darts Farm in Topsham, Devon, rated as the UK’s best farm shop. Customers can buy an array of fresh food grown and produced on his land, including red North Devon cattle.

But Mr Dart, who looks after 400 employees, told the Express that he has taken a hit of around £750 per employee per year after Ms Reeves hiked Employers’ National Insurance payments and the national living wage, both coming into effect in April. Mr Dart, who suffered from cancer three years ago and still needs regular blood tests, added that his children could face having to sell off his enterprise, founded by his “pioneer” father Ronald in 1971. He added that the Government “seems to be piling the pressure on people who aren’t well” with its decision to apply taxes to agricultural assets over £1 million from April next year.

DON’T MISS

Powered by 

Rachel Reeves dealt major blow as farm tax set to cost Treasury nearly £2bn

Comments

What is the Spending Review and what could Rachel Reeves announce?

Comments

Jeremy Hunt – Britain’s future is bright but Rachel Reeves’s tax hikes pose real threat

Comments

HMRC cracks down on families underpaying inheritance tax

Comments

Nine million pensioners to receive winter fuel payment after government u-turn on policy

Comments

Rachel Reeves sent new £15bn warning over brutal inheritance tax raid

Comments

GB News presenter blasts Rachel Reeves winter fuel ‘sham’ in huge blow to pensioners

Comments

Winter fuel payment victory as Rachel Reeves makes humiliating climbdown

Comments

Rachel Reeves tax change means ‘£15bn hit’ to economy – ‘it’s irresponsible!’

Comments

Rachel Reeves told ‘catastrophic’ tax change must be scrapped as new fears erupt

Comments

Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax hikes after announcing £15bn splurge

Comments

Labour tipped to hike fuel duty costs for all petrol and diesel drivers after this date

Comments

Rachel Reeves plots new tax raid as expert warns: She’ll attack your pension at both ends

Comments

Everything we know about winter fuel payments U-turn and what it means for you

Comments

Fury as Labour shuns crucial summit on Reeves’ ‘tragedy tax’ as farmers voice fears

Comments

Rachel Reeves’ hated inheritance tax sparks UK food security fears and horror jobs warning

Comments

Rachel Reeves ‘lines up stealth tax blitz’ to raise billions – check out her top targets

Comments

Labour civil war brewing after winter fuel U-turn – Could this be next?

Comments

Rachel Reeves swears she won’t hike income tax, NI or VAT – write that down now

Comments

Thousands more families to be hit by inheritance tax

Comments

Rachel Reeves dealt major blow as farm tax set to cost Treasury nearly £2bn

Comments

What is the Spending Review and what could Rachel Reeves announce?

Comments

Jeremy Hunt – Britain’s future is bright but Rachel Reeves’s tax hikes pose real threat

Comments

HMRC cracks down on families underpaying inheritance tax

Comments

Nine million pensioners to receive winter fuel payment after government u-turn on policy

Comments

Rachel Reeves sent new £15bn warning over brutal inheritance tax raid

Comments

GB News presenter blasts Rachel Reeves winter fuel ‘sham’ in huge blow to pensioners

Comments

Winter fuel payment victory as Rachel Reeves makes humiliating climbdown

Comments

Rachel Reeves tax change means ‘£15bn hit’ to economy – ‘it’s irresponsible!’

Comments

Rachel Reeves told ‘catastrophic’ tax change must be scrapped as new fears erupt

Comments

Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax hikes after announcing £15bn splurge

Comments

Labour tipped to hike fuel duty costs for all petrol and diesel drivers after this date

Comments

Rachel Reeves plots new tax raid as expert warns: She’ll attack your pension at both ends

Comments

Everything we know about winter fuel payments U-turn and what it means for you

Comments

Fury as Labour shuns crucial summit on Reeves’ ‘tragedy tax’ as farmers voice fears

Comments

Rachel Reeves’ hated inheritance tax sparks UK food security fears and horror jobs warning

Comments

Rachel Reeves ‘lines up stealth tax blitz’ to raise billions – check out her top targets

Comments

Labour civil war brewing after winter fuel U-turn – Could this be next?

Comments

Rachel Reeves swears she won’t hike income tax, NI or VAT – write that down now

Comments

Thousands more families to be hit by inheritance tax

Comments

Rachel Reeves dealt major blow as farm tax set to cost Treasury nearly £2bn

Comments

What is the Spending Review and what could Rachel Reeves announce?

Comments

Jeremy Hunt – Britain’s future is bright but Rachel Reeves’s tax hikes pose real threat

Comments

HMRC cracks down on families underpaying inheritance tax

Comments

Nine million pensioners to receive winter fuel payment after government u-turn on policy

Comments

Rachel Reeves sent new £15bn warning over brutal inheritance tax raid

Comments

GB News presenter blasts Rachel Reeves winter fuel ‘sham’ in huge blow to pensioners

Comments

‘It’s always in the back of your mind’

The businessman and grower said he is not sure exactly how much they would owe to the exchequer, but thinks it could be “multiple millions”.

Mr Dart described the Government’s stance as “horrific” and “disastrous”, adding: “You know when you know you are worth a few quid – it’s simple maths. If I died now, my kids would have to sell the business.

“I’m not married anymore. So, I’m effectively a chap with four kids. A beautiful partner, but we’re not married, and I was diagnosed with cancer.

“I’ve had it removed, and I’m hoping that I’m healthy. But when you suddenly get a change of policy, you don’t need to be 80 or 90 to die, you can die of cancer quite young.

“So, of course, that is quite a frightening prospect, and what do you do? Because life is complicated. You don’t want to pass things over to children before they are of the right age, because that’s not necessarily good for them.

“It feels like nobody understands or cares about what we do.”

‘It’s the biggest insult’

Mr Dart added: “You want to find out what they want to do. Where’s their passion? We don’t want them just coming into a business because it’s there.

“I want my children to follow their dreams and follow their passion. So this Government policy is starting to impact that sort of thing, making families make decisions that they shouldn’t be making.

“Making children make decisions they shouldn’t be making. I don’t think it was well thought through. I don’t think they understood the consequences, it’s really complicated.”

The farmer then recalled the Government’s promise during the general election that it would not tax working people. This, he called “the biggest insult”.

Mr Dart said: “As an employer, apparently, I’m not a working person. Most of our customers and most of our staff have told me over the years to take life a little bit easier – ‘You work too hard!’

“It’s a common criticism of family businesses, the bosses actually work b***** hard. You’re always at work. But I’m not at work because I have to be, I’m at work because I love it. I want to. I enjoy work – it’s a passion.”

Conservative shadow farming minister Robbie Moore said that Ms Reeves’ policy is “negatively impacting many of our family businesses, our farming businesses and our rural economy”.

He added: “This is a cliff-edge policy. This is a tragedy tax that the Government are bringing in.

“The Government are unwilling to even listen appropriately to this level of concern.”

During a meeting of farmers at Mr Dart’s farm on Friday, he described how he had encountered a 78-year-old farmer with cancer, who told him that, if he were to die before April 6 next year, he would not have to pay a penny more.

But, if he were to pass away after that date, he would have to hand over more than £1 million.

A Government spokesperson said: “The vast majority of estates claiming these reliefs will still pay no additional inheritance tax, and those that do will pay a reduced rate and be able to pay over 10 years interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach to help fix the public services we all rely on.

“We are also investing £5 billion into farming over two years, the largest amount for sustainable food production in our country’s history, and are going further with reforms to boost profits for farmers by backing British produce and reforming planning rules on farms to support food production.”

Ministers emphasise that nil-rate bands mean two people with farmland can pass on up to £3 million without paying any inheritance tax.

They add that, for assets above the £1 million allowance, individuals will access 50% relief from inheritance tax and pay inheritance tax at a reduced effective rate of up to 20% rather than the standard 40%.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) said ahead of the Spending Review on Wednesday that health and defence are expected to be protected, but all other budgets, including the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA), are “expected to be under considerable threat”.

The union added: “At stake for our industry is DEFRA’s funding for areas such as ELMs (Environmental Land Management schemes), flooding, research and development, biosecurity, and agri-tech.”