A farmer killed himself the day before the Budget after weeks of worrying about looming changes to inheritance tax, an inquest has heard. John Charlesworth’s son said he believed his father wanted to “beat” the Government’s proposals and “save the farm for future generations”.
Mr Charlesworth, 78, who went by his middle name Philip, was found dead by his son Jonathan Charlesworth, 47, in a barn of their farm in Silkstone, Barnsley, on October 29 last year. An inquest at Sheffield Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Charlesworth had been struggling to care for his wife, who had severe dementia and had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
The hearing was told that in the months before Rachel Reeves’ Budget he had been “growing more and more anxious about inheritance tax and the implications for the farm”.
Jonathan Charlesworth told the hearing: “I think he was under stress looking after my mum but if it hadn’t been for worries about inheritance tax he would still be here today. He wouldn’t have put us all through that for any other reason.
“He thought he was doing it for the good. I don’t agree with that, but he thought he was doing it for the greater good.
“There was a lack of information, it wasn’t actually as bad as it could have been but we didn’t know that.
“We couldn’t find any information, we just knew it was coming, we didn’t know how bad it was going to be.
“I think he woke up that morning and thought, ‘I’m not risking it, I’m not risking losing everything I’ve worked for’.”
He added: “In the couple of months before it happened the only thing he talked about was inheritance tax.
“I think he just wasn’t going to let the Government beat him, that was his final hurrah.”
The inquest heard that John Charlesworth had retired from the farm, which had been bought by his own father, and that his son was responsible for the day-to-day running while he cared for his wife, who died in February this year.
A coroner was told he had no reported mental health issues, but had been seen by a mental health team about support for his wife several days before he died.
His daughter Verity Charlesworth, 45, said farming was a part of Mr Charlesworth’s “life and identity”, and that he was also a grandfather of six and a keen bell-ringer.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, coroner Tanyka Rawden said Mr Charlesworth was under stress with caring responsibilities for his wife.
She said: “He was worried about implications of new regulations around inheritance tax that would see the family lose 50% of the farm, taking his life the day before the changes were due to be announced.”
After the inquest, Jonathan Charlesworth said his father was “a typical Yorkshireman, typical farmer – tight with money but generous with time”, adding: “He’d do anything for anybody.”
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