Okay, so maybe they didn’t say it quite like that… But farmers in Minnesota are taking it that way.
A program in Minnesota called the Green Acres Program was supposed to offer property tax relief to farmers in the state, much like programs in other states. In Pennsylvania, for example, there is a similar “Clean and Green” program. The idea is to keep property taxes low for land that is used for farmland but would otherwise have a higher fair market value if sold off to build McMansions, strip malls and the like.
Only, the legislators in Minnesota apparently don’t *get* farming. This year, after hearing that developers were reportedly getting tax breaks under the program, the legislature tweaked the rules to make it more difficult to qualify for the tax breaks.
A noble goal, perhaps. But the implementation is a bit pathetic, um, lacking. Now, nonproductive land – generally considered that which is not tilled – will be taxed at a higher rate regardless of the intended use of the land. In other words, even if the purpose of the land is farming, if the government determines that it’s not productive land, there will be an increase in taxes. In some cases, the taxable value of the land as “unproductive” is reportedly as high as 20 times the farming value of the land.
It’s not entirely clear what the government believes is productive, though indications are that it must be tillable – meaning no trees. To prove that land could be productive, farmers feel that they have no choice but to cut down trees, no matter the age or purpose of the trees. Trees which may have been used as windscreens or buffers to protect farmland – or on land that is not actively being farm after years of use on a crop rotation system – could be classed as unproductive land according to memos that have been flying around the state. So, the farmers reason, the trees have to go.
Farmers are, of course, furious that they have been put in this position. Thom Petersen, director of government relations for the Minnesota Farmers Union, has said: “I’m sick when I hear that farmers — strong conservationists — are clearing their land because they don’t know what else they can do.”
Nonetheless, as a Jan 2 deadline for proving that the land is productive approaches, farmers are still rushing to clear trees to make the land look “productive.”
Which is great, Minnesota. Cause exactly what we need to curb development is cutting down more trees.
Well done.
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