Posted on 03/08/2011 5:28:00 AM PST by maggief
The Denver Post concludes a two-part report today on Colorado's agriculture-land tax breaks and the non-farmers who benefit from them.
(Excerpt) Read more at bizjournals.com ...
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=13076858
Celebrities, Pols Benefit From Colo. Ag Tax Breaks
Goldie Hawn, Tom Cruise among celebrities benefiting from Colo. lower agricultural tax rate
DENVER March 7, 2011 (AP)
So what?
If I want to retire a nice 80 acres of what was farming land, but not farm it, the gubmit will pay me a money to do it. Sure, its not enough for an actual farming family to live on, but it sure does offset my expenses.
I raise cattle and enjoy a greatly reduced tax rate. If you want to see the price of beef go sky high and the US become dependent on foreign sources for food, just go messing with the ag exemption.
I doubt Tom Cruise or Goldie Hawn are raisning any crops themselves, perhaps they rent that property to others who work it for them. If they are raising crops on the property and are entitled to the tax break , why shouldn’t they get it?
When investers buy property for future development they should not be entitled to tax breaks.
Sheep graze for brief periods each year. See Denver Post article, part 2, links in posted article.
Are you kidding me Georgia? You approve of craven celebrities ripping off the taxpayers with their schemes? Remember John Kerry parking his yacht in another state to avoid taxes? Then these paragons of Hollywood want to tell John Q. Public to pay more taxes.............
Our founding fathers would be most distressed by the dictatorship in office and the amount of taxes we spend.
It's every American's patriotic duty to pay as little tax as possible. And I support it even when liberals do it unless they're being hypocritical about it, and I don't recall them saying people need to be taxed more.
And, BTW, a tax rate reduction is not the same as a "subsidy". I'm all for all the tax breaks we can get.
My liberal mother in law wants taxes raised.
If wealthy celebrities utilize their land such that they meet the requirements of the law, then good for them. They are entitled to the tax break.
I have a plot of land in southern Colorado I use for shooting. Because the ranch owner I bought it from still grazes cattle on it with my permission, I get the agricultural tax rate. I can’t really say I have a problem with celebrities using the same law to their advantage.
Either the law applies to everyone, rich or poor, or it’s garbage.
It has the side effect (unintended consequence) of exposing the outrageous welfare given to the farmers in Colorado. Lets invite all of Hollyweird and have some good old fashioned class warfare. The family farm is becoming a myth of history anyway.
What do you mean, “so what?” This sort of practice drives up the cost of farmland, namely because any Joe Schmoe can incur upon the land, build as they please, and permanently destroy what had been perfectly good farmland. It frankly infuriates me that developers are getting tax breaks on this sort of land.
As someone who actually wants to get into ranching and looks as the price of land around the nation inflates because of wreckless builders and irresponsible immigration policities, it’s frustrating.
And if you want to own land somewhat near a residential area because your spouse works, oh, that’s right, you can’t because some moronic developer has bought up the land.
How does this "rip-off the taxpayers?" Are you telling me you approve of progressive taxation? Are you telling me that you approve of tax breaks for some people, but not the wealthy? I smell envy.
Its not a tax rate reduction if its only being granted to politicians and celebrities and the wealthy, it is most definitely a form of subsidy
So you and the left agree that NOT taxing more equalls a subsidy?
I have a 40 acre plot in So Colorado. Bare ground. My taxes are less than ten bucks a year. For that I get no road maintenance (the land owners do it),no water or sewer and the fire dept is volunteers. If I build the taxes will go up. The services will not.
How do you interpret a lower property tax rate as the government paying you to farm? I am not following that.
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