Labour plotting ‘gun tax’ to wage war on countryside, Tories claim

countryside

Labour has been accused of waging a “war on rural communities” by hiking charges for gun owners.

In its manifesto, the party says it expects to raise £20 million per year by making the firearms licensing process cost-neutral, with the proceeds funnelled into crime prevention schemes.

The Tories claimed the change would cost gun owners “hundreds of pounds” in additional fees, warning voters “if you don’t want to see your taxes hiked, vote Conservative”.

As it stands, firearms licences are issued by individual police forces, in what campaigners describe as a “hugely inefficient” system.

The cost of issuing the licences exceeds the amount recuperated from owners in fees.

Labour has pledged to change this, so each force is fully reimbursed for the expense.

Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said this would necessarily involve charging gun owners far more to renew their permits.

Price could soar to £400

There were more than 500,000 active shotgun licences in England and Wales last year. The permits have to be renewed every five years, at a cost of around £50.

If Labour makes the process cost-neutral for the police, Mr Bonner said the price for renewal could potentially soar to around £400.

He told The Telegraph: “Many of the people who have those licences need those licences to carry out their jobs… the idea that they can simply be tapped for a few 100 quid here or there is naive. And, frankly, it shows a lack of understanding of the countryside.”

Asked how the change will be perceived by the community, he said: “I think there will be anger that they are paying for a system which is patently inefficient.

“Many people, I think, will think that at least in part this is because there is a prejudice that some in the Labour Party have against gun ownership as a whole.

“And we’ve seen that in the past, and certainly there are significant voices in the Labour Party who are campaigning to make gun ownership more difficult, to reduce gun ownership in the UK anyway.

“And I think some of us would think that at least part of this is about a wider attack on gun ownership.”

‘Out of financial reach’

Labour has said the cash raised from the change would be used to pay for youth workers and mentors in A&E facilities, pupil referral units and custody centres.

Roger Seddon, the shooting campaign manager at the Countryside Alliance, previously warned it would see “a significant rise in the cost of a shotgun certificate or firearms licence, which will put legal and safe gun ownership out of the financial reach of many”.

In an analysis of the parties’ manifesto plans, published in June, he said: “It appears that Labour wants law-abiding, rural people to be made financially responsible for combatting urban knife crime.

“The Countryside Alliance believes money from firearms licensing fees should go entirely to the firearms licensing process, not to subsidising other policing issues.”

The Labour manifesto does not give any further detail about how the change would work, or when it would come into force.

A Tory spokesman said: “You name it, Labour will tax it.

“This is just another example of Keir Starmer’s war on rural communities. His plans would see gun owners paying hundreds of pounds in additional fees to renew their licences.

“Don’t hand Labour an unaccountable super-majority. If you don’t want to see your taxes hiked, vote Conservative.”

The Government had been in the process of reviewing firearms licensing when the election was called. Last year, it said it was committed to “achieving full cost recovery for the police”.

Labour has been approached for comment.

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