by Pat Gilbanks
Conservation groups and land trusts rely on tax incentives to entice landowners to preserve open space, rather than selling it off to the highest bidder. The law that provides tax incentives for land conservation is up for renewal and with your help, could become a permanent part of the tax code this year.
The Conservation Easement Incentive Act allows modest-income landowners to receive significant tax deductions for donating conservation easements that permanently protect important natural or historic resources on their lands.
When landowners donate a conservation easement, they maintain ownership and management of their land and can pass the land on to their heirs, while foregoing their rights to develop the land in the future. The new bill will allow farmers and other landowners to deduct a larger share of their income over a longer period of time—and thus help more families be able to afford to conserve their land. The enhanced tax incentive allows working family ranchers and farmers to deduct up to 100% of their income for as many as 16 years in order to deduct the full value of their gift.
The Conservation Easement Incentive Act will make this valuable conservation tool permanent. An amazing 93 members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill. Talk about a powerful message when it hits the floor! The enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations has helped land trusts conserve 535,000 more acres in 2006 and 2007 than in the previous two years. In California they saw a 50% increase in the number of conservation easement land donations when these tax benefits were enhanced on a temporary basis in 2006, according to Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA).
Now Congress is considering making the law permanent in order to help protect millions of acres of farmland and open spaces. And this is where you come in…
In Connecticut the following members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors:
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT/2nd)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT/3rd)
Rep. John Larson (D-CT/1st)
Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT/5th)
If your representative is on the list call and say thank you! The number for the Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121.
If not, your Representative can still sign on as a cosponsor. Call your representative’s office and ask for the staff member who handles tax issues and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 1831. Tell them to contact Travis Robey in Rep. Mike Thompson's office or Wyatt Stewart in Rep. Eric Cantor's office. They will need every House cosponsor they can get!
Thanks to the Land Trust Alliance for the contact info above. Don’t know who your representative is?
To use the House of Representative’s database you will need your zip+4. Find it here.
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp
Contact your reps:
House of Representatives Contact Info Finder:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Ask that they consider co-sponsoring the bill and tell them you support the bill and want it passed when it hits the floor.
Now check to see if land trust active in your neck of the woods! Spring is a great time to volunteer for your local land trust. These are small nonprofits doing great work for Connecticut and the environment. Many need assistance right now with seasonal clean-ups and fundraising.
Check this list from the CT DEP with links to the websites of active land trusts in Connecticut:
http://www.ct.gov/Dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2706&q=323832&depNav_GID=1641