A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 1, 1998 What Are PA’s New Homestead And Farmstead Exclusions? Nancy Roberts DePoe, Montour County agent, DANVILLE (Montour Co ) - This past November, Pennsylva nia voters approved a change in the Commonwealth’s constitution to allow a method ot real properly tax relief, called (at that time) a homestead exemption A home stead exemption allows for pref erential treatment ot homeowners under the real property lax In May the PA Legislature passed the Homestead Property Exclusion Program Act (Act 50 of 1998) In addition to changing the word “exemption" to “exclusion". Act 50 has provided the definitions and rules needed by school districts, counties, and municipalities (townships, bor oughs, and cities) to implement the homestead exclusion Home stead exclusions, and a similar exclusion for farm properties, called the farmstead exclusion, HACCP Workshops BOWLING GREEN, Ky. One-day work shops to increase under standing of the issues associated with HACCP in slaughter plants and potential impact on the farm will be held across the U.S. during the month of August. The food safety workshops, “Surviving in a HACCP World,” will be held Aug. 25 in Columbus, Ohio; Aug. 26 in Omaha, Neb. and Aug. 27 in Denver, Colo. The one-day work shops will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. The Livestock Con servation Institute (LCI), an organization representing the food animal industiy, is fa cilitating these work shops. Contact the LCI Of fice at (502) 782-9798 or visit LCl’s website at www.lcionline.org for more information or to register for the work shops. FARM COVER A competitive new Insurance program for farms In Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Goodvllle Mutual has served the community since 1926. We offer a farmowners package policy for dairy, swine, poultry and crop farms. We also offer Insurance packages for homes, vehicles, businesses and churches. Working to earn your trust every day can now be made f ad exclus ' on provides the same Homestead and farmstead ex- dollar tax reduction to all eligible elusions can be implemented un- Properties m the taxing junsdic der Act 50 in a taxing jurisdiction tlon > '"eluding houses on farms, (school district, county, or mu- condominiums single family mcipal.ty) without changing the homes - “d other places of per existing local tax structure as long manent reslde " ce owned by the as they pay lor it without m- occu P am A homestead prop creasing real property taxes The ert y ,s a dwellm g used b y an law also provides a mechanism ° wner hls or her permanent tor school districts to change their home You ma y have on| y one local tax structure by shifting permanent home at a given lime, more to an earned income tax, in ar, d homestead properties may not exchange tor eliminating several include rental units, vacation nuisance taxes (the per capita, oc- homes, or camps cupation, and occupational pnvi- The farmstead exclusion is a lege taxes) and reducing the real rnethod of real property tax relief property tax for farmers It allows a mecha- The homestead exclusion is a n|sm I° r tax relief to farmers on way to target real property tax re- tbe taxes they pay on farm build -1 let to homeowners who have mgs (other than the farm house it their permanent residence in the w hich is covered under the . , homestead exclusion), so long as taxing jurisdiction It reduces the >' 6 . . . „ , at least one ot the farm owners assessed values ot homestead , ]vcs ()n the farm Thls ls m addl . properties, re ucmg P non to other existing real property tax on these homes The home- 6 v v J free T-SHIRT WITH EVERY MOTOR PURCHASE NEW OR USED. Services Electrical e Contracting loard Repair ‘lndividual Wiring •Equipment Installation To get the name of a Goodvllle farm agent in your area call 1-800-448-4622 or 717-364-4921 locally and ask for a farm underwriter. Look for our display In the exhibit tent at Penn State Ag Progress Days, August 18,19 and 20, 1908. CSoodvllle Mutual CfcßuattyCoinpciny mW. Ma ln Street. ftOJtoK 41* mw mama, wk tmi*m Motors •Leeson *GE •Baldor ‘Vanguard •Leland Faraday ‘Pasco •Leeson & GE Farm Duty Controls •Leeson Pumps •Star •Little Giant •Hayward Pool & Spa Accessories •Bases •Benshaw ” •Premier •Capacitors •Carbon Brushes »Pump Seals •Start Switches 'Float Switches •Bearings 'Brake Kits Rewinding •AC & DC Motors »Coils •Hermetics ‘Transformers •Generators tax relief programs, such as Act 319 “The Clean and Green” pro gram which reduces the assessed value of farmland. If a taxing ju risdiction offers the homestead exclusion it must, by law, offer the farmstead exclusion as well. Act 50 also states that the farm stead exclusion rate will be set by the local governing body, and cannot exceed the amount of the homestead exclusion A “farmstead” property is de fined as “all buildings and struc tures on a farm of ten (10) con tiguous acres or more m size that are used primarily for agricultural purposes” (such as housms am- • Weight-Tronix • Bucket Elevators Feed Mill • Stirring Systems • Transport Augers . utility Augers WESTFIELD GRAIN AUGERS duality Product At An Affordable Price! 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