
A Napa County grand jury has questioned millions of dollars in tax breaks that were doled out to preserve wine country farmland with little chance of being developed. Passed in 1965, California’s Williamson Act seeks to ease the financial challenges farmers face as their ag land is taxed as more valuable transitional or development land. In return for a commitment to farm their land for at least 10 years, landowners are taxed at a lower rate. According to county officials, Napa County’s $200 million general fund loses $1 million annually because of Williamson Act contracts for both vineyards and grazing land.
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News Desk
- August 24, 2018
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Preservation Tax Breaks Questioned
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The Land Report Fall 2013
With 2.2 million acres, John Malone takes top honors for the third consecutive year. His love of land, coupled with his wife’s love of horses, led to several key acquisitions, including a historic Irish castle just south of Dublin and two properties in Wellington, the epicenter of Florida’s equestrian community.
At more than 2 million acres, Ted Turner runs a close second to his good friend. Turner enjoys the distinction of being New Mexico’s largest landowner, and he capitalized on that honor by acquiring the historic Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa in Truth or Consequences. Guests at the Lodge will be able to enjoy tours of Turner’s 156,439-acre Ladder Ranch and his 362,885-acre Armendaris Ranch.
Thanks to his acquisition of the Broken O Ranch, Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke moved up from No. 10 on last year’s list to No. 8 in the rankings. Among the newcomers to this year’s list are Texas’s Wilks Brothers, founders of Frac Tech. Their prized jewel is Montana’s 60,000-acre N Bar Ranch, which they acquired from former Land Report 100er Tom Siebel, founder of Siebel Systems. Another new name on the list is Arthur Nicholas, who serves on the board of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Nicholas is the owner of Wyoming’s historic Wagonhound Land and Livestock Co., which is the subject of a new book by Land Reporters Wyman Meinzer and Henry Chappell.
We invite you to be among the first to view the complete rundown of America’s top landowners, which is available exclusively on the Fay Ranches website. Click here to download your PDF today.
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