Wrong to question charitable status of the Great Yorkshire Show - The Yorkshire Post says

Its importance to the people of Yorkshire should not be overlooked and neither should the work of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which organises the event.

This simple fact was obviously lost on the HMRC when it decided to pursue Yorkshire Agricultural Society over the charitable tax status of shows in 2016 and 2017.

Thankfully, the Society was able to argue that it should not have to pay a total of £291,000 in VAT.

It should never have gone to tribunal and the HMRC was wrong to question the charitable status of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

This is an organisation that does a lot of good for Yorkshire’s rural communities. Its work has never been more vital than it is now.

In fact Britain would be better off if there were more agricultural organisations like it, championing farmers.

We have seen in recent years that our food security depends on us supporting British farmers. Too often people take agriculture in this country for granted.

That is where events such as the Great Yorkshire Show, which welcomes 140,000 people, come in. They help raise the profile of agriculture. In 2021, the now King Charles visited the show, impressing farmers with his rural knowledge.

Farmers are also going to be needed to combat climate change. They understand the land better than anyone and that expertise needs to be harnessed.

It was a mistake for the HMRC to call into question the Society’s charitable status but hopefully with this behind it, the Society can look forward to continuing to do critical work.