HARD-PRESSED Yorkshire farmers are being urged to turn to the taxman for help.
The Country Land and Business Association, formerly the Country Landowners' Association though still abbreviated CLA, is advising farming families hit by plummeting incomes to ease the burden with Working Families' Tax Credit.
CLA regional director Dorothy Fairburn said farmers faced a depressing outlook in 2001 with the continuing crisis compounded by heavy rains and floods late last year and with increasing red tape and no sign of a recovery in the industry.
"That is why I think Working Families' Tax Credit could help," she said.
"It is available to farming families just as it is to other employed or self-employed people. Owning land and other assets is mistakenly often thought to exclude farmers from support.
"Support could be worth in excess of £80 a week depending on circumstances. To the well off, it may not sound a lot, but to those whose livelihoods are now on the borderline, it is a lifeline to cling to."
Farmers interested in getting help should call the Tax Credit Helpline on (08456) 066668.
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