Two motions relating to the controversial policy are on the agenda for Worcestershire County Council's first full council meeting of the year on Thursday, January 9.
Conservative councilors said they were “deeply concerned” by the Labor government’s plan to scrap inheritance tax exemptions for farms worth more than £1 million.
And Green Party councilors are calling for the threshold to be raised to £5 million.
Tory councilors Adam Kent, Kit Taylor, Elizabeth Eyre, Brandon Clayton, Chris Rogers and Adrian Kriss said in their motion: “These changes pose a direct threat to the livelihoods of farming families who have been at the heart of it for generations.” Worcestershire Economy and Community.
“By increasing the death tax burden on these family farms, these changes risk jeopardizing the sustainability of farms that are essential to our food security, local employment and the management of our countryside.
“Family businesses operate on thin profit margins and often rely on the continuity of generational ownership to remain sustainable. Inheritance tax increases could force many to sell land or equipment just to pay off tax debts, weakening our local agricultural base and threatening the character of Worcestershire's rural landscape.
“This council stands firmly with Worcestershire’s farming community and is committed to protecting its future from actions that would threaten its long-term sustainability and our county’s agricultural heritage.”
The motion calls on Defra Minister Steve Reed to reconsider any measures that place an “undue financial burden on family businesses”.
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A second motion, on behalf of Green councilors Martin Allen, Matt Jenkins, Malcolm Victory and Andrew Cross, said: “Too many farms will be lost, generations of love, care and hard work will be destroyed by this unfair level of taxation.”
“This advice calls on the government to reconsider its decision and adjust the threshold upwards so that these farms produce less [than] Five million pounds are exempt from this catastrophic mistake.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the policy last month, saying the majority of farms would not be affected and the revenue generated would be needed to fund public services.
Appearing before the Liaison Committee of Senior MPs, he added: “With the scheme we have introduced we have tried to protect the family farm by introducing a high inheritance tax threshold for farms, which means that if you Take the numbers on the properties as farms, the vast majority of them are unaffected by the changes we have made.”