Preventing $57M Farm Tax Increase
On Tuesday, the Senate approved Senate Bill 319 to prevent an estimated $57 million property tax increase on Indiana farmers.
SB 319 would delay, for an additional year, the implementation of a new federal formula for assessing farmland property taxes. This means the formula used for the March 1, 2011, assessment date will be used again for the March 1, 2013, assessment date.
This legislation is all about helping the 62,000 farmers and their families in our state. The new proposed "soil productivity factors" for farmland assessment could cause an 18 percent average increase in property tax payments for these residents, depending on which counties they call home.
I’m afraid that could be enough to put some of our hard-working farmers — who are already struggling because of last year’s drought — out of business. That is why I supported SB 319, which will now be heard in the House of Representatives.
http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/INSTATE-69e995
Similarly, from the Farm Bureau Public Policy Dispatch: FARM BUREAU-BACKED SOIL PRODUCTIVITY BILL CLEARS SENATE PANEL On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee heard, amended and approved SB 319, the bill that requires that the soil productivity factors used for the March 2011 assessment of agricultural land continued to be used. The bill also requires the department of local government finance (DLGF) to submit a report explaining any changes it recommends to the General Assembly for approval before they can they be implemented. The bill was presented by its author, Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg). Katrina Hall testified in support of the bill on behalf of Farm Bureau. The amendment added to the bill by the committee requires Purdue to be involved in any studies undertaken by DLGF. Later in the day, the House Ways & Means Committee heard HB 1114, an identical bill introduced by Rep. Bob Cherry (R-Greenfield). Rep. Cherry was joined in presenting the bill by Rep. Don Lehe (R-Brookston), who also introduced an identical bill in the House. Katrina Hall again testified in support of the bill. In keeping with its established procedures, the House Committee did not vote on the bill the day it was presented. https://www.cvent.com/Pub/eMarketing/Pages/WebEmail.aspx?emstub=2368419c-bbd9-4624-83ba-764df7e40eb7 |
