Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Dan Tomlinson

Monday 5th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dan Tomlinson]

Yes, I do believe that we have got the balance right. It is worth noting that the top 4% of claims accounted for over half the Exchequer cost of business property relief and the top 7% of claims accounted for 40% of the Exchequer cost of agricultural property relief. That is hundreds of millions of pounds in tax that was forgone but will now be raised under these changes from the very largest estates. I thank my hon. Friend for his engagement on this issue over recent weeks and months.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dan Tomlinson]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and for her work on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on this and many other important issues that affect rural communities up and down the country, as well as in her constituency—a fantastic part of the world that I am sure I will be able to visit soon. She is right that the Government are taking steps—for example, through our £11.8 billion fund to support sustainable farming and food production—and I look forward to working with Ministers in other Departments and across Government to ensure that we continue to support our rural and farming communities.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dan Tomlinson]

My hon. Friend is right to say that we on this side of the House are the true and better representatives of the rural community. There are over 150 MPs on this side of the House who represent rural or semi-rural constituencies—I believe that there are as many Labour MPs representing rural constituencies as there are MPs on the blue Opposition Benches.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Dan Tomlinson

Tuesday 9th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Dan Tomlinson]

Yes.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Conservative spokesperson.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hospitality sector might use the rail industry, with freight, so I am sure we can get something on that.

[Dan Tomlinson]

I am sure that many of us do jump on the train to support our hospitality businesses. The consultation that my hon. Friend mentions, which we published on the day of the Budget, is an important piece of work. Chapter 4 of our call for evidence on how we can reform business rates to support investment will be important. We recognise that airports and other large infrastructure are valued in a different way from other business properties, and we want to look at the changes that we can make to support those businesses, which have seen very significant increases in their rateable values. Under the scheme that we have announced, they will of course be capped as well.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

The Chancellor promised a new golden era of hospitality, but the reality of her business rates raid, as the British Beer and Pub Association has said, is

“sleepless nights, pay cuts and staff layoffs”

for publicans, who will be paying an extra £13,000 on average. Why did the Chancellor tell businesses last week that their taxes were going down when they are going up, and will she think again and change the multipliers?

[Dan Tomlinson]

The multipliers are a product of the change in the valuation, and they did come down. We brought them down even further for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. Without intervention this year, the bills paid by pubs would have increased by 45% as a result of the increase in value since the pandemic; because of this Government’s significant intervention this year, bills are going up by 4%. That is the impact of the changes this Government have made.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dan Tomlinson]

At the Budget, we came forward with a revision to the policy to support people whose spouses have already passed away, and we made the allowance transferable between the spouses. That change will reduce the number of farms affected by the agricultural property relief changes from about 500—as was estimated at the previous Budget—to 375, when coupled with changes to the underlying economic forecast. The policy raises money from those with the largest estates in a fair way, and I encourage Members in all parts of the House to consider whether or not—

[Mr Speaker]

Ahem.

[Dan Tomlinson]

I will stop there, Mr Speaker.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Dan Tomlinson

Tuesday 4th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Dan Tomlinson]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question, and for her time last week—it was good to meet her to talk about important issues affecting farmers and rural communities. On balance, the Government believe that the policy position that was set out at last year’s Budget is the right one, and we will be continuing with it.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

This morning the Chancellor failed to take responsibility for her poor choices in a Budget that whacked up taxes, borrowing and spending, and made it clear that she would once again break her promises on tax. The farmers whom I have met have been in tears about the family farm tax, not because they are worried about losing their jobs but because the Chancellor is putting generations of farming at risk. Can the Minister tell the House whether the Chancellor has actually met any farmers, the NFU or other farming organisations to understand the impact of her policy and why she should scrap the family farm tax?

[Dan Tomlinson]

The Government have assessed the impact of this policy. According to the estimates that we issued at the time of last year’s Budget, about 500 farms would pay additional tax as a result of the changes; those numbers were contested by all Opposition Members, but the CenTax report—which the hon. Member has said that he and others are interested in reading—backs them up and confirms the Government’s estimates.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dan Tomlinson]

I am not sure that the matter that the right hon. Member just raised has much to do with HMRC.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Treasury Committee.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Sit down.

[Dan Tomlinson]

I thank the hon. Member for his question, and I remind him of the landmark trade deal that this Government secured with India. He criticises the Government for not doing enough, but we have secured a trade deal with India, the EU and the US. We are also reducing tariffs to support industry and investing in Scotland with a record-breaking Budget to support jobs, investment and growth, and the public sector across the whole of Scotland.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Members are meant to shorten their questions for topicals.

[Dan Tomlinson]

We will be introducing permanently lower rates for those businesses in the Budget.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Dan Tomlinson

Tuesday 9th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Minister, welcome.

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Dan Tomlinson)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The immediate task facing the Labour Government was to take action to stabilise the public finances and invest in our public services. On national insurance, we did that in a way that protects the smallest businesses by increasing the employment allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. That means that 865,000 employers will pay no national insurance contributions at all, and more than half will either gain or see no change.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dan Tomlinson]

Yes, I agree strongly with my hon. Friend that Opposition Members continue to will the ends—they want the spending on public services—but are not willing to come forward with a plan for the means and the money to invest in our public services so that we can change things for people up and down this country.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Dan Tomlinson

Wednesday 30th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Dan Tomlinson (Chipping Barnet) (Lab)]

Q2. Mr Speaker,“there is going to have to be a coming together of Reform and the Conservative party in some way”—a deal, a pact or a merger. Those are not my words, but the words of the most senior Tory in elected public office in the country, the Mayor of the Tees Valley. If senior Tories are plotting it, and the Leader of the Opposition will not deny it, is not the only way to stop the plot to vote Labour tomorrow?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. There is no need to answer that, Prime Minister; you have no responsibility for any of that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Dan Tomlinson

Tuesday 19th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We have been very slow to get to topicals, so let us see if we can speed it up. Dan Tomlinson will set a good example.

[Dan Tomlinson (Chipping Barnet) (Lab)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.