From: [email protected] Subject: Land Trusts DEMAND Billion Dollar Handout! Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 – E-mail: [email protected] Web Address: http://www.landrights.org Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003 Phone: 202-210-2357 – Fax: 202-543-7126 – E-mail: [email protected] Land Trusts DEMAND Billion Dollar Handout! ### ALERT !! CRISIS !! ALERT !!! CRISIS !!! ### FRIDAY morning, September 5 is CRUNCH TIME!!!!!! YOU MUST DELUGE CONGRESS WITH CALLS The Billionaire "non-profit" Land Trusts will attempt to rip-off the American taxpayer for $948 million - nearly a billion dollars - on Friday morning in the House of Representatives tax-writing committee, the Ways and Means Committee. Land Trusts are ALREADY tax-exempt "non-profit" entities, and so enjoy huge advantages over the private sector in business transactions. They don't pay taxes, and contributions to them are tax-deductible. They are also notorious for buying land at dirt cheap prices from distressed sellers who have been wiped out due to the Endangered Species Act or other regulations -- then reselling the land at a huge profit to government agencies! NOW the Land Trusts are demanding a loophole for themselves that will discount 50% off of capital gains taxes for a seller of land - BUT - only if the land is sold to a Land Trust or government agency! If the land is sold to anyone else, forget it - no tax break. HERE are the many reasons why this is a rip-off of landowners, churches, private schools, small communities and taxpayers. PLEASE take these reasons and act on the ACTION ITEMS BELOW!!!!!!!! VOTE NO on the Land Trust amendment to HR 7!!! ONE. The only ones who will benefit from this special tax break are Land Trusts, NOT the seller of the land. This proposal will severely devalue private property. It allows Land Trusts and government agencies to cut their offering price for land, because no other entity will be able to compete with a 50% capital gains tax cut. The landowner loses out with devalued property. Effectively the only beneficiary is the Land Trust! TWO. This Tax Favoritism proposal will discourage private parties from even bidding on land, so many times the only offers for land will be made by the twin buzzards of Land Trusts and government agencies. Do you think you will get a fair price from them??? THREE. It will damage the property tax base of communities since more and more land will become tax-exempt. This increases the tax burden on remaining private land - while the Land Trusts sit back and watch, not paying any taxes themselves. FOUR. HR 7, the Faith Based Initiative that the Land Trusts are attempting to amend, is intended to encourage churches, orphanages and private schools to promote social services. And yet the Land Trusts desire to place themselves at an advantage over churches, orphanages and private schools in this very bill!!! Social service non-profits are NOT eligible for this proposed tax deal - ONLY Land Trust! FIVE. It will hand over more land to government agencies, since this Tax Favoritism proposal permits the tax break for sales of land ONLY to Land Trusts or government agencies. SIX. It will cost, according the House-Senate Joint Taxation Committee, $948 million - nearly a BILLION dollars added to America's national debt, just to feed the Land Trusts hunger for more power. SEVEN. Land Trusts, since they are "non-profits," ALREADY have huge business advantages over private individuals, since they don't pay taxes and contributions to them are tax deductible. The Nature Conservancy for example has $3.2 Billion in assets and a $700 Million annual budget - and pays NO taxes! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! EIGHT. WATER RIGHTS. The Land Trusts are demanding that this Tax Favoritism include sales of water rights, damaging the future of communities. *** ACTION *** ACTION *** ACTION ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! VOTE NO on the Land Trust Amendment to HR 7 ! ### PLEASE DO THESE THREE THINGS: ### NUMBER ONE. Contact your House member and ALL of the key House Ways and Means Committee members listed below. -----You can call every Representative at (202) 224-3121. A TEMPORARY TOLL FREE NUMBER is (800) 648-3516. HERE are key members of the House Ways and Means Committee: William Thomas (R-CA) -- (202) 225-2915 -- FAX (202) 225-8798 – E-mail: [email protected] Philip Crane (R-IL) -- (202) 225-3711 – FAX (202) 225-7830 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/crane Wally Herger (R-CA) – (202) 225- 3076 – No fax listed – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/herger Jim McCrery (R-LA) – (202) 225-2777 – FAX (202) 225-8039 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/mccrery Dave Camp (R-MI) – (202) 225-3561 – FAX (202) 225-9679 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/camp Jim Nussle (R-IA) – (202) 225-2911 – FAX (202) 225-9129 – E-mail: [email protected] Sam Johnson (R-TX) – (202) 225-4201 – FAX (202) 225-1485 – E-mail – go to www.samjohnson.house.gov Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) – (202) 225-7761 – FAX (202) 225-8673 – E-mail: [email protected] Mac Collins (R-GA) – (202) 225-5901 – FAX (202) 225-2515 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/maccollins J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) -- (202) 225-2190 – FAX (202) 225-3263 – E-mail: [email protected] Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) – (202) 225-2956 – FAX (202) 225-5712 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/hulshof Scott McInnis (R-CO) -- (202) 225-4761 – FAX (202) 225-0622 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/mcinnis Ron Lewis (R-KY) – (202) 225-3501 – FAX (202) 225-2019 – E-mail: [email protected] Kevin Brady (R-TX) -- (202) 225-4901 – FAX (202) 225-5524 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/brady Paul Ryan (R-WI) -- (202) 225-3031 – FAX (202) 225-3393 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/ryan Eric Cantor (R-VA) – (202) 225-2815 – FAX (202) 225-0011 – E-mail – go to www.cantor.house.gov NUMBER TWO. Contact Congressmen Roy Blunt and Richard Pombo, who are leading the fight against the Land Trust Tax Favoritism and for PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS. THANK THEM. Here are their key staffers: For Rep. Roy Blunt, please contact: April Ponnuru - [email protected] Rep. Richard Pombo, please contact: Laura Hylden - [email protected] NUMBER THREE. INCREDIBLY, the Washington, DC offices of the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association have meekly lined up in the shadow of the Land Trust lobbyists in support of this massive handout - this sellout of private property, water rights, and tax funds. This cave-in has NOT been approved by state affiliates of either organization! IF you are a member of the Farm Bureau or the Cattlemen's Association, then contact your state chapter and the lobbyists below and ask them what the heck is going on!!! Was this massive handout of land and water rights ever voted on by the membership??? Has your state organization approved this, do they even know about it??? HERE are the Farm Bureau lobbyists who caved in: Patricia Wolff - [email protected] Richard Newpher - [email protected] Phone 202-484-3600 Fax 202-484-3604 HERE are the Cattlemen's lobbyists who caved in: Jeff Eisenberg - [email protected] Myra Hyde - [email protected] Phone 202-347-0228 Fax 202-638-0607 TELL THEM - NO SELLOUTS!!! The multibillion dollar Land Trusts have ENOUGH advantages already!!! Enough is enough! THIS IS AN ALL OUT EFFORT. PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.