Lower Taxes ???

[TOM4CWB]

perhaps you should read my post before making that asumption. If you read the last sentence you will see that I do not advocate taxing farm buildings. There is a huge difference between family farms and huge confined feeding operations. Please don't jump to inaccurate conclusions !!!!!

[cowman]

Well I think Letbridge tried to float the idea of an "animal tax" where the large feedlots and barns would have to pay so much an animal? The concept was the big factory farms were tearing up the roads, so should pay more? I really don't think that was such a bad idea?
When a rig moves, they water the road for dust, they have a grader out there if deemed necessary, they put down gravel if they wrecked the road. When the silage trucks ruin the roads the county picks up the tab! Is that really fair? Especially when the oil company pays more taxes on that one lease than 1,000 acres of farmland does?
Personally I believe that when it comes to the grid roads it should be user pay? Why should all the farmers pay so someone can run a factory...and call it a farm?

[cowman]

exactly the point I was trying to make. Even if the large confined feeding operations were paying to have water trucks behind the silage trucks and compensated the municipality when custom manure spreading trucks pounded the hell out of the roads it would mean some amount paid back to the county vs having it subsidized by the rest of the citizens.
I would certainly advocate a certain size level so the smaller family operations weren't hit with road maintenance costs.
Cowman, Lethbridge did try and implement such a tax by bringing forward a resolution to AAMD C but it was defeated because some elected officials in other areas of the province were afraid their electorate would give them the boot. After that the province sent out a COMMITTEE to review farmland assessment and their recommendation was taxation based on a 'footprint' concept but that idea was put on a shelf after the drought years and BSE.