From: alra@governance.net Subject: Land Trust Scam - ONE More Day!!! Land Rights Network American Land Rights Rights Association PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 – E-mail: alra@landrights.org 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: landrightsnet@aol.com Land Trust Scam - ONE More Day!!! ONE MORE DAY!!! The vote on the Land Trust Tax Scam has been put off AGAIN - until Tuesday evening, September 9!!! This is the SECOND TIME that the House of Representatives tax-writing committee, the Ways and Means Committee, has delayed its vote on the Land Trust Amendment to bill number HR 7. GRASSROOTS ACTIVISTS like YOU have made a HUGE difference! PLEASE ACT NOW - ONE MORE TIME ! ! ! ! ! The Nature Conservancy (assets - $3.4 Billion, annual budget - $750 Million) and the other super-rich Land Trusts thought they had everything sewn up by flooding the Capitol with dozens of lobbyists. HOWEVER, then Congress heard from their constituents, from the people, from YOU!!! NOW the issue is in doubt - there is no telling which way the Ways and Means Committee will vote. YOUR effort is needed ONE MORE TIME!!! ^^^ PLEASE ^^^ SEE NEW ACTION ITEMS BELOW! EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY CALLED, PLEASE make the effort AGAIN! HERE is the issue: The Land Trusts are demanding a loophole for themselves in HR 7 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!!!!!!!! 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 available ONLY if land is sold to them. 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 land-gobbling Land Trusts and government agencies. Do you think you will get a fair price from them??? THREE. It will damage the economic and property tax base of communities since more and more land will become tax-exempt. This increases the tax burden on remaining private lands and businesses, and hurts schools, fire, police and other government services. All the 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 Trusts! 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 $3.4 Billion in assets and a $750 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 ! TWO IMPORTANT ACTION ITEMS ! ! ! ! ! ! NUMBER ONE. THANK OUR FRIENDS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! These four listed below are fighting for private property rights, the United States Constitution and for YOU. THANK THEM! Tell them PLEASE keep up the great work!!! Rep. Wally HERGER is a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee. He is a long-time Champion for private property rights, and has been leading the fight for us on Ways and Means. PLEASE THANK HIM and let him know how much we appreciate all his good work. Contact Derek Harley - derek.harley@mail.house.gov Rep. Chris CANNON is Chairman of the 50 member Western Caucus. He has rallied westerners and all property rights supporters in opposition to this Tax Favoritism for Land Trusts. You can THANK HIM by contacting: Trevor Kolego - trevor.kolego@mail.house.gov Rep. Roy BLUNT is senior member of the House Republican Leadership. He sounded the initial warning bell on this Land Trust Tax Scam and has been working hard to keep HR 7, the Faith Based Initiative bill, focused on helping social service agencies, not Multibillion Dollar Land Trusts. THANK HIM by contacting: April Ponnuru - april.ponnuru@mail.house.gov Rep. Richard POMBO is Chairman of the Committee on Resources. He has been on the front lines of every property rights battle. He has been this time as well, fighting to keep a level playing field for private property versus the gigantic, hugely profitable "non-profit" Land Trusts. You can THANK HIM by contacting Laura Hylden - laura.hylden@mail.house.gov NUMBER TWO. Here are a handful of key Ways and Means Committee members who are playing it "close to the vest" and are undecided on whether to hand over this huge tax break to the Land Trusts. They have all been lobbied heavily by the land trust lobbyists crawling all over the Capitol. They need to hear from YOU!!! TELL THEM, using the reasons listed above, pick out the ones that you think are most important, and TELL THEM that the wealthy Land Trusts ALREADY enjoy plenty of tax advantages and do not need any more. ALSO - Send that same message you your own House member - because the Land Trusts may attempt a legislative end-run at some later date if they can't grab their special carve-out now. Contact your own House member AND 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 the three key members of the House Ways and Means Committee: Committee Chairman William Thomas (R-CA) -- (202) 225-2915 -- FAX (202) 225-8798 – E-mail: bill.Thomas@mail.house.gov Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) – (202) 225-7761 – FAX (202) 225-8673 – E-mail: dunnwa08@mail.house.gov J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) -- (202) 225-2190 – FAX (202) 225-3263 – E-mail: jdhayworth@mail.house.gov END _________________________________________________________________ PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE!!! -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.