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AccreditationAttorneysBoardsClimate ChangeCollaborationCommunications
Community ConservationConservation DefenseEconomic BenefitsFederal ProgramsFundraisingInsurance
Land Trust Standards and PracticesStewardshipStrategic ConservationTaxes
AccreditationAttorneysBoardsClimate ChangeCollaborationCommunicationsCommunity ConservationConservation Defense
Economic BenefitsFederal ProgramsFundraisingInsuranceLand Trust Standards and PracticesStewardshipStrategic ConservationTaxes
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Tax Incentives: A Key to Conservation Success

State and federal tax policies have a huge impact on how much land we’re able to protect. Tax incentives for land conservation offset part of the loss in property value when a landowner donates an easement, which makes conservation a viable option for more landowners. Tax incentives for voluntary land conservation have proven to be hugely successful, helping land trusts to protect over 50 million acres nationwide.

Federal Income Tax Benefits

One of the most significant tax incentives is the federal income tax deduction, which Congress made permanent in 2015. This powerful tool allows modest-income donors to receive greater credit for donating a very valuable conservation easement on property they own. With the enhanced incentive in place, the pace of conservation exceeds one million acres per year!

Estate Tax Benefits

Estate tax incentives are another important consideration for many landowners — especially farm and ranch families, who can be hard hit by estate taxes. In some cases, estate taxes force families to subdivide or sell their land. Estate tax incentives for conservation create an alternative, which can help to keep land intact, in production, and in the family. The Alliance helped to create the first estate tax incentives for conservation and we keep working to improve these incentives so they benefit more families and help save more land.

State and Local Tax Benefits

Fourteen states offer some form of tax credit or deduction for conservation easements, in addition to the federal income tax deduction. In some cases, these state incentives are more significant than the federal incentives and they can be a major driver of voluntary land conservation.

Sometimes, donating an easement may reduce a landowner’s property taxes. However, that depends on local and state laws where they live. The simplest form of property tax benefit is that a conservation easement usually reduces the value of the property — which may mean that there’s less property tax to pay.

A Tax Guide to Conservation Easements

Stay current on tax law with our newly updated Tax Guide to Conservation Easements. Written for a general conservation audience, this book covers basic legal concepts underpinning easements, requirements for tax benefits, appraisals and more — a “must-have” desk reference on the complex world of tax law.

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Articles

Setting the Pace: Why Land Trusts Need to Play a Role in Public Policy

Source: 
Saving Land magazine, Fall 2012
Author: 
Chris Miller

For 40 years the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) has been promoting land conservation in a nine-county region at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

Articles

An Unwanted Visitor: What to Do If the IRS Comes Calling

Source: 
Saving Land magazine, Summer 2009

A visit from the IRS is not something that land trusts wish for, but that knock on the door or the ten-page document request from the IRS is an increasing reality. Because donations of conservation easements are on the rise, so too are tax deductions.

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