CALL TO ACTION: Farm Machinery Tax and SB 136 Need Your Attention.

March 6, 2016 – By #South Dakota Farmer UnionAttention South Dakota Farmers Union members, two issues require your assistance. Monday will be a big day for the South Dakota Legislative Session.

According to reliable sources, attempts will be made to remove the .5% increase on the farm machinery tax. If you recall the tax was included as a part of HB 1182, the bill to provide an increase in teacher pay and property tax relief. The proposed removal of the increase to the farm machinery tax would NOT lower the revenue dedicated to teacher pay. Instead the revenue would come from the property tax relief that is built into the bill.

South Dakota Farmers Union supports these efforts to remove the farm machinery tax and encourages you to contact your legislators in order to do the same.

The other issue in need of your attention is Senate Bill 136. If passed, SB 136 would provide an incentive to producers to plant perennial vegetation buffers within 50 ft. of lakes, ponds, and streams. The incentive would come in the form of a property tax adjustment on that land within the 50 ft. of those lakes, ponds, and streams. Specifically the bill would change the way land was assessed for tax purposes. All land, within that 50 ft. buffer, that is planted in perennial vegetation would be assessed as non-cropland. Considering that the land surrounding the lakes, ponds, and streams often contains high rated soils, a non-cropland assessment would provide a considerable incentive for these conservation practices.

Despite passing the Senate Ag Committee, the Senate Floor, and the House Ag Committee all unanimously, rumor has it that certainty entities are working on a way to kill the legislation.

Fellow Farmers Union Members, we need to contact our legislators and remind them that SB 136 has our support. SB 136 is good for ag, it’s good for conservation, and it’s good for South Dakota. Below you will find a link to the email addresses of all SD legislators: SD Legislators

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Last Modified: 03/06/2016 4:15:33 pm MST