The Middle Class Tax Relief Act, HR 4853

A Major Tax Incentive for Conservation of Private Land

The Middle Class Tax Relief Act, HR 4853, (passed in December 2010) renewed a powerful conservation tax incentive for voluntary conservation easements that had expired December 31, 2009.

The incentive does the following:

            *Raises the deduction a landowner can take for donating a voluntary conservation agreement from 30% of their income in any year to 50%;

            *Allows farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100% of their income: and

            *Increases the number of years over which a donor can take deductions from 6 to 16 years.

The renewed incentive will apply to gifts of easements through December 31, 2011. Please feel free to contact the Licking Land Trust with questions on this law.

Additional Information on the tax incentives on the Land Trust Alliance website.