Retired Farmers Bill Pt 2
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. Helping retired farmers avoid burdensome taxes and fines is the focus of a bill being drafted by 17th District Representative Vicki Kraft. She started working on the bill after a retired farmer told her the assessor's office wanted to collect deferred taxes on his Current Use status even though the 80-year-old was no longer working his land.Kraft says with more and more baby boomers hitting retirement age, help will soon be needed...
VICKI KRAFT ... "When someone, local farmers in particular, hit that 60 years of age mark, which is what we have designated in the bill for the retirement age, once they hit that and they have farmed their land for the previous 10 years then they qualify to keep their land in the Current Use Status, if you will, and essentially will not have to pay any taxes or penalties or fees as a result of not actively being able to work their land."
Kraft says her bill would also protect other growers who may be physically unable to farm ...
VICKI KRAFT ... "So, if a farmer has worked their land for the previous 10 years and then experiences a disability, or is classified disabled by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, then, again, they will not experience those taxes or penalties and their land will not come out of Current Use and experience those penalties."
Kraft says she's working on finalizing the bill and is still looking for more input from local farmers and the community, but hopes to have it ready very soon.
Kraft worries retired and disabled farmers will have to sell their land rather than passing it along to family members.