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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 08 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USLand conservation measure approved by unanimous vote
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With no debate, the Georgia House today gave its strongest stamp of approval to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s plan to offer income tax credits for farms, foresters and others who agreed never to convert their land holdings into subdivisions or shopping malls.
Perdue’s land conservation measure passed the House 156 to 0 and now goes to the state Senate.
State Rep. Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla), the governor’s floor leader,said HB 1107 would allow a landowner to claim a credit against the tax liability up to 25 percent of the land’s value.
The cap would be $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations, Roberts said.
The taxpayer would be required to give a conservation easement or agree to preserve the land “forever – for future generations to come,� he said.
Ten states have similar programs, Roberts said.
Environmental groups supported the bill, citing U.S. Department of Agriculture studeis showing that Georgia farms anad woodlands are being converted to urban uses at an alarming rate - 1.05 million acres between 1992 and 1997.
“We applaud our representatives for taking an important step toward keeping Georgia Green,” said Jill Johnson, environmental advocate for Georgia PIRG.”Citizens statewide are concerned about the rapid rate at which our green spaces are being developed. We know that permanently conserving green space will help promote clean air and water, provide wildlife habitat and protect our quality of life. A recent satellite survey by the University of Georgia’s Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Laboratory found that the 16-county metro Atlanta region is losing 54 acres of tree canopy and gaining more than 28 acres of impervious surface every day.
Governor Perdue’s Advisory Council for the Land Conservation Partnership recommended establishing a land conservation income tax credit in their comprehensive report in 2004. The proposed tax credit is similar to a popular North Carolina program, in place since 1983, which has permanently conserved more than 138,600 acres of land worth $505 million.
Since 1974, Georgia has invested over $331 million to acquire 368,000 acres of land. Georgia PIRG staff spoke with almost 30,000 Georgians and worked closely with The Nature Conservancy, Georgia Conservation Voters and other land conservation organizations to garner support for the legislation.
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