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E-M:/ RE: / farm tax legislation
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Enviro-Mich message from Jeff Irwin <lcvefmi@worldnet.att.net>
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Hello,
The worry at SEMCOG, holding back support from their staff and advocates,
is that a tax break for agricultural land will simply be a tax shelter for
land speculators. Without assurances build into this tax scheme there will
be no accountability to assure that local units will not be losing tax
revenue while speculators keep rural land in holding patterns.
Hopefully, environmentalists, SEMCOG, the MTA and others will succeed in
molding this significant legislation into something that will ensure that
agricultural tax breaks are preserved for agricultural uses. One idea that
SEMCOG is floating around is that when ag land is converted from this new
tax shelter and into development, the property tax breaks will have to be
paid back to the local units forfeiting them under this plan. Notice the
typical tactics of the current administration: win favor by offering local
unit revenue as a tax break from Lansing, borrow from the future
generations for today's expenditures, shove more responsibility for
enforcement and implementation to the local units . . . .
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Jeff Irwin
League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
208 1/2 S. Fourth Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 327-7154
FAX: (734) 327-7668
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennie Breuninger [SMTP:breuninger@fbwebmaster.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2000 8:32 PM
To: enviro-mich@great-lakes.net
Subject: E-M:/ farm tax legislation
The recent edition of Dairy Farm Midwest has an article "Michigan Ag Relief
Legislation could save Farmers Millions". Anne Wiowode said Sierra club is
supportive but would like to see the language to make sure farmers are
given a tax break, but ensure that there is something in the law that
ensures the land will be kept for ag usage.
How much information has the Sierra Club received regarding this piece of
legislation. At our last township meeting our SEMCOG representative said
that SEMCOG was concerned that the legislation being drafted has been done
primarily by developers. MTA,MML and farm groups have not been involved
with this land use legislation.
Yet the article in this paper suggests that "a powerful group of farm
advocates,lawmakers. and environmentalist determined to help the state's
floundering farmers have forged a coalition to try and save them millions
of dollars in property taxes.....
This sounds successful but contradicts what I perceived from our SEMCOG
rep. as being a flimsy package of land use legislation that would sound
good but deliver little substantial benefits. Just Engler talk, nothing
with bite.
Am I wrong, please tell me yes!
Jennie
<< File: ATT00007.htm >>
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