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Hello!
I
hope that you all are enjoying the Christmas season with your friends
and family. It is interesting to think about all the people and
effort involved in producing the food that we eat and what it takes
to support the homes we gather in. Property tax assessments are on
the rise and almost all of our food is imported from out of state.
This creates a huge food security risk and increasing financial
burdens on Alaskan residents. Increasing the amount of food produced
in state for our consumption helps Alaska be more self-sufficient.
Outlawing outrageous increases to the assessed value of your home
will eliminate spikes in your property tax.
Growing
Alaska’s agriculture sector is also good for business and creating
jobs. Agriculture provides the opportunity to create products for
both in-state consumption and export, which would diversify our
economy. The agriculture industry not only provides jobs for farmers
and farm workers, but it also provides economic opportunities for the
goods and service providers that farmers depend on.
Finally,
it is becoming increasingly clear that good health comes from eating
fresh, minimally processed local foods. Alaskans will benefit from
having greater access to locally grown meat, dairy products, and
produce.
I have
supported Alaska’s agriculture industry by passing legislation that
provided property tax breaks for farm buildings. This upcoming
legislation Session I will introduce three bills to further support
Alaskan agriculture and limit your tax liability
·
Lease state land for agriculture – the statutory
requirements to lease state land are incredibly expensive and take a
long time to complete, making it financially infeasible. I’m drafting
a bill in consultation with stakeholders and the Department of Natural
Resources that would allow farmers to more easily lease state land if
they can demonstrate a viable plan, with requirements for working the
land to maintain that lease.
·
Expanding agricultural property tax breaks – The
legislation I passed in 2024 was limited to farms that were producing
food and livestock. Unfortunately, the law is being interpreted to
cut out farms that operate as an S Corporation. I plan to introduce a
bill that addresses this issue and also restores previous property
tax breaks on land and extend them to buildings to non-food
agriculture like peonies and hay for horses.
·
Limiting Increases of Assessed Value for your
residence – As property values have spiked and inflation has driven
up costs, many Kenai Peninsula residents have seen assessed values
and property taxes increase. I know this is not ok and am taking
action to reduce tax increases on your home by introducing a bill
that will limit the amount the assessed value on your home can
increase to 5% per year.
Thank
you for staying up to date on these and other issues that matter.
Please contact me with your questions and ideas by calling
907-283-7996 or by email at sen.jesse.bjorkman@akleg.gov
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year!!
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