LOCAL MP Anna Sabine is urging the Government to reconsider proposed cuts to inheritance tax relief for farms which she warns could significantly impact 144 in Frome and East Somerset.

Following the Government’s decision to cut inheritance tax relief for farms as announced in the recent budget, the MP is now calling on the Government to scrap the move which could affect 144 farms in her Frome and East Somerset constituency.

The Government has previously said that 27 per cent of farms will be affected by the changes which could mean as many as 144 in the area could suffer.

The Liberal Democrats say the “family farm tax” could slash the levels of inheritance tax relief available to farmers which is feared will ring the “death knell” for many local farms.

The MP said: “Many of the farmers in Somerset are generational and have had their land and businesses passed down to them from parent to child. This tax could be disastrous for these farmers that have been forced to endure years of cuts to their incomes and botched trade deals from the Conservative government”.

She has now called on the government to scrap the “family farm tax” and take up Liberal Democrat proposals to put forward an additional £1 billion a year in support for farmers.

She added: “This proposed tax hike will come as another blow to the rural community that has been consistently ignored by Conservative Governments and Labour must not fall into the same pattern of neglect when it comes to our rural industries.”

James Wright, South West Chairman of the Conservative Rural Forum, echoed these concerns and said: “Labour's new tax threatens the heart of rural communities, where family farms fuel local jobs, schools, and community life.

“This new burden risks farm closures, undermining both livelihoods and vital environmental stewardship — jeopardising the very landscapes we depend on. This is something that Kier Starmer’s Labour simply just don’t understand"

He stated that the new tax could impose a significant financial strain on farming families, potentially costing an average of £240,000 per farm. This considerable amount could jeopardise not only their livelihoods but also the vital environmental stewardship that family farms provide. He said: “This is something that Keir Starmer’s Labour simply doesn’t understand.”

He urges people to oppose these changes by signing the petition athttp://www.stopthefarmtax.com.