Posted: | April 24, 2019 08:13 AM |
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From: | Senator Judith L. Schwank |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | PA Farm Bill - Realty Transfer Tax Exemption for sale of preserved farms to beginner farmers |
Shortly I will be introducing legislation that is part of Governor Wolf’s proposed PA Farm Bill. My legislation will provide assistance to beginning farmers as part of the PA Farm Bill’s Agricultural Business Development and Succession Planning. Currently in Pennsylvania more than 5,500 farms have committed to preserving their land in agriculture in perpetuity through our nation-leading Farmland Preservation program. In addition to protecting farmland from development pressure, the program also improves land access for beginning farmers by allowing the land to be sold at its farm value. However, in recent years due to land prices in some parts of the Commonwealth there is little benefit for a beginning farmer to consider the purchase of a preserved farm. My legislation would extend the waiver of realty transfer taxes for the sale of a preserved farm to a qualified beginning farmer. I hope you will join me in supporting this legislation. |
Introduced as SB624