Decision details

Given that

a)    Agriculture is one of Wales' main industries, and that a high percentage of Gwynedd's economy is linked to agriculture

b)    the stability of the family farm is a vital and invaluable contribution to the preservation of the Welsh language in our Welsh-speaking communities

c)    the agricultural industry in Wales is currently able to make a valuable contribution to the food stock of the 'United Kingdom' in an age of increasing uncertainty, although the stock is low

This Council notes with regret that the Inheritance Tax Act poses a threat to the traditional farming unit, to the economy of the country and to the Welsh countryside, especially to the Welsh speaking areas.  (At least two farmers are known to have committed suicide since the announcement of the Act and families and related local workers and businesses face collapse if the Act comes into effect in 2026.)

I therefore call on Cyngor Gwynedd to bring pressure to bear on the Welsh Government to take the following actions:-

i)                     pressurise the Westminster Government to recognise that the farming industry is crucial to the UK's security strategy, and to
exclude family farms that produce food from the new tax when it comes into force.

 make a plea to the Welsh Government to commission research to assess the impact of the Act on the Welsh economy and Welsh-speaking communities; also to implement adequate mitigation measures to protect the agricultural industry which is so crucial to the future of our country's rural communities.