Letter to the Editor

Concerns over farm land and taxes

Sunday, September 21, 2008

To the Editor:

Most farmers planted their crops late due to the weather and some of us had to plant three times to get a stand costing thousands of dollars. The cost of fertilizer has doubled from last year.

Chemicals have tripled and seeds have went up and guess what? When we finally received our property tax bills, they had also went up in cost!

For farm land, the assessed value base rate last year was $880 per acre. This year, $1,140 per acre and next year, it goes up to $1,200 per acre.

Some taxes went as high as 48 percent, so whose taxes went down?

The homeowners, whose taxes dropped a little, don't be fooled. They are making up for it in the one cent increase in sales tax.

The problems started when the inventory tax was removed. It really helped businesses and large companies, but for farmers and others, their taxes went sky high.

Indiana needs to return to the way assessment was handled four years ago. The system was not broken, but it sure is now.

Indiana needs a change in leadership, not in our constitution.

James J. Elliott,

Bowling Green