Congress has a big agenda this year between budget talks, the Farm Bill, and various other ag policy concerns. However, the American Farm Bureau says action on tax policy should be a top priority, starting with the estate tax.
“Families are already going through a very difficult time when they lose a loved one and are passing the farm on, and so, this adds an additional burden of trying to come up with up to 40 percent of your farm’s value to pay the IRS. Most of farm assets come from non-liquid assets, mainly land. So, as land becomes more valuable, even when farms are facing losses, they’re now being pushed above that exemption level due to rising land values,” said Samantha Ayoub.
The Farm Bureau says at the end of the day, it all comes down to giving farmers and ranchers certainty, adding without permanent changes, farmers and ranchers are at risk.
