Better targeting of Agriculture Real Property Tax Exemptions
These are vital to farmers, who bear huge costs in property taxes. But, they are poorly targeted-- the fact that poorer quality soil rates a higher exemption means that, often, non-farming rural landowners benefit much more than farmers. Some surely have their land hayed by farmers for relatively useless poor quality hay in a scam-like scheme to "farm the government." Often, the low-quality hay is not even taken off ...more »
These are vital to farmers, who bear huge costs in property taxes. But, they are poorly targeted-- the fact that poorer quality soil rates a higher exemption means that, often, non-farming rural landowners benefit much more than farmers. Some surely have their land hayed by farmers for relatively useless poor quality hay in a scam-like scheme to "farm the government." Often, the low-quality hay is not even taken off the fields... but taxes are exempted. This is particularly profitable for large landowners in high-tax (read: very wealthy) suburban locations. Fine to preserve farmland-- but do it outright, not by giving estate owners a tax break.
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