Name of your  MP

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

 

X January 2025

 

Dear [NAME OF YOUR MP],

I am writing to you as a constituent at [NAME AND ADDRESS OF ESTATE] to oppose the Chancellor’s decision to impose a cap on Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) in this year’s Autumn Budget. These reliefs provide a lifeline to listed property  businesses like mine and this cap will cause harm to local economies will suffer and put the UK’s unique heritage at risk.

Listed property businesses serve as hubs of culture, community and commerce, often acting as lynchpins in local economies across some of the most rural parts of the UK. Independently owned heritage has enormous economic benefits for the UK, generating over £1 billion annually in GVA, all while saving the taxpayer from the burden of maintaining these important but costly heritage assets. However, we rely on a supportive fiscal and regulatory framework to continue looking after the UK’s heritage and delivering public benefit.

BPR ensures that, on my death, inheritance tax is not charged on family businesses like mine, allowing these businesses to continue to run. BPR gives listed property businesses – which are, for the most part, rural SMEs, deeply embedded in communities like ours – the confidence to make long-term decisions, thus creating good jobs and growing the economy, as well as providing rural communities with access to culture.

Capping the relief makes it very difficult for businesses like mine to succeed in the long term. Listed property businesses are asset-rich but they also have very high costs, meaning that our profit margins are incredibly narrow and there is little to no money to pay a high Inheritance Tax bill. [EXPLAIN HOW YOUR HOUSE/GARDEN WILL BE AFFECTED].

As your constituent I strongly encourage you to oppose this decision and call on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to support the rural economy by reversing this capping of Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief.

I would be happy to speak to you about this in more detail.

Best wishes

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]