senodak - 11/21/2015 18:26
LHaag - 11/21/2015 14:45
How exactly does a person defend an ag homestead property tax exemption.
That is one I struggle with.
LH
At one time that was designed to keep people in farming, along with a lot of other things that were set aside for ag for good reason. You may enjoy some of these things and not even realize it.
Off of the top of my head, these things are all "special treatment" that we get in ag
(at least in my area
):
- No sales tax on seed, fertilizer, chemical, ag parts, used ag equipment.
- No property tax on residence, bins, barns, outbuildings etc.
- Crop insurance subsidy
- ARC / PLC
- State young farmer / beginning farmer loan program
- Misc. FSA programs: loans, EQIP, etc.
- No need to DOT trucks & trailers for private farm use, no required compliance to licensing
(CDL
)
- More lenient OSHA/labor regulations than other businesses
Anyone who says farming is "just like any other business" should ask themselves if they'd be OK with getting rid of all of the above.
Agriculture's image problem
