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.