New Jersey's antiquated farm assessment program is back in the news. This is the program that gives wealthy land owners a huge property tax break for their hobby of raising trees, bees or sheep.
I wrote a great deal about these funny farms last year when the issue was front and center in the 12th district NJ Senate race between Jennifer Beck and Christmas Tree farmer Ellen Karcher. Those posts were so much fun to write that I went back to read them this morning. I thought you might enjoy them too:
I really want to buy some trees. Call me back Mike.
This post recounts my genuine attempt to buy trees from Ellen Karcher.
Something's fishy with these farms
This post made none other than Rick Ambroisa laugh out loud. It's the story of how I tried to get a farm tax break, and how I think the program should be amended.
It's My Farm
A song parody to the tune of Bon Jovi's It's My Life that my wife and I wrote after the news that Judith Stanley-Coleman and Jon Bon Jovi enjoy the farmer's tax break. Click on the links to get the full effect.
Enjoy.
The Legacy of Thomas Lifson
10 hours ago
Posts
3 comments:
Interestingly enough the farmland tax break argument didn't seem to work as well this year. As you may remember, Pennacchio couldn't beat Zimmer with it in the primary and Scott Garrett didn't get touched by it in the general when the blind Rabbi guy used it against him.
It seems the argument doesn't work well against actual farms,even if the revenue these farms produce isn't much. (To my knowledge both are actual farms, Zimmer's produces hay and Garrett's produces christmas trees and is owned and operated by family members)
I think the reason the argument was so effective against Karcher was the TV-ad and mailers that showed her property and obviously proved that it was the last thing from a farm. Also Karcher was the ethics "reformer" so it was a stab at her own claim to fame.
That being said, the program needs to be reforemd majorly still and it concerns me that despite all the press, nothing has been done with the bills proposed.
It's good to read those old entries though, they are probably my favorite of yours since I started reading this blog.
MooOOOoo.
Does anyone really think Jon Bon Jovi's or Judith Stanley Coleman's estates on the Navesink River are really farms???? Give us a break from this hypocrisy and get our legislators to really clean up this inequity and protect real farmers..(calling Jennifer Beck,a former friend of the woman on the river) This stuff stinks like what it is !!!
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