Yorkshire Politicians Join Farmers Tax Protest March to York Minster

A protest happened in York yesterday, February 15th. It was about proposed inheritance tax changes. The “March to the Minster” started in Museum Gardens. Over 200 people walked through York’s streets. Children led the march on toy tractors. It ended at the War Memorial near York Minster.

Marchers wore hi-vis jackets if the tax changes affected them. Many attendees chose to wear the jackets. These protests followed Chancellor Reeves’ October budget. The budget included a new 20% inheritance tax. It affects farms worth over £1 million. Previously, farms had 100% tax relief.

Two local MPs attended the protest. Rachael Maskell represents York Central. Kevin Hollinrake represents Thirsk and Malton. They spoke with farmers outside York Minster. Kevin has openly criticized the inheritance tax. He was happy to see so many people at the march. Kevin believes MPs must support local communities.

He thinks the government might change its mind. Rachael Maskell hasn’t publicly spoken about the tax yet. She said she attended to listen to farmers. She wants to understand the tax policy’s impact. Rachael wants to know how it affects family businesses.

She said farmers face many challenges. This includes extreme weather and soil depletion. Foot and mouth disease and avian flu also affect them. Older farmers feel stressed about the future. They worry about their families’ farms.

Two local councillors also joined the protest. Chris Steward leads the York Conservative Group. Malcolm Taylor is a North Yorkshire councillor. Chris said it was vital to support farmers. He wore a “Back British Farming” hoodie. Chris thinks the changes are unjustified. They may devastate family farms.

Malcolm Taylor has worked on a dairy farm. He supports the farmers on this issue. He represents a rural farming area. Malcolm said many farmers are affected. He called the tax a “robbery tax.” He fears future generations cannot farm.