Even if you don't own land, this should upset you. Congress is condsidering a bill that will make it virtually impossible for people to afford land conservation.
Why does this matter? Private land conservation is the #1 method of preserving open space WITHOUT SPENDING ANY GOVERNMENT MONEY. All some landowners need (because they are often land rich and cash poor) is the tax incentive to do it
The way it works now is, if a landowner has property and they wish to donate the property or just the development rights (meaning the land cannot become a box store, subdivision, etc, but they still own and can sell/will the land)...the value of the donation (as determined by an appraiser) can become an income tax writeoff.
In an over-zealous effort to reduce fraud, Congress is considering limiting the deductibility of land donatiosn to 1/3 OF THE VALUE OF THE DONATION - making it impossible for many people to consider conserving their land.
Please review the facts at http://lta.org/publicpolicy/ppc.htm and get involved! Or PM me for more info




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