Using the Conservation Tax Incentive: Brochure
This brochure summarizes the conservation easement tax incentive and provides answers to some frequently asked questions. The incentive:
- Raises the deduction a donor can take for donating a conservation easement from 30 percent of his or her income in any year to 50 percent;
- Allows qualifying farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100 percent of their income; and
- Extends the carry-forward period for a donor to take tax deductions for a voluntary conservation agreement from 5 to 15 years.
This is a powerful tool for allowing modest-income donors to receive greater credit for donating a very valuable conservation easement on property they own. For land trusts, this translates to the possibility of protecting much more land through the use of conservation easements.
It is important to note that the incentive only applies to easements donated between 2006 and 2009. The Land Trust Alliance will work to make this change permanent, but as it stands it will expire at the end of 2009. 8 pages
This is an extremely useful overview of conservation easements in general, and its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) format helps make it a good introduction to those new to the issue.
