Death and taxes – inheritance levy has become an ageist lottery for me

Simon Broadbent, whose Huddersfield metal forming firm has been operating for 160 years, is concerned about the fate of businesses like his under broader inheritance tax. Photograph: Jon Super/The Guardian

I am 83 next birthday and, so that my descendants escape the potential inheritance tax bill of £6m-plus, I’ll have to survive until October 2032 (‘Our plans could be derailed’: family firms say Labour tax rises will force fire sales, 16 September). My firm is property-based. In the event of an earlier demise, sites will require disposal within six months, cruelly affecting investment, growth and employment.

In my case the tax has turned into an ageist lottery. At the moment plans are afoot to rig up a life-support unit at home with an instruction to pull the plug on the appointed day, seven years hence. Any suggestions for relief, Rachel?
Robert Thomas
Chairman, Remarkable Pubs

• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.