Land Trust Alliance Applauds Presidential Budget Proposal Aimed at Tackling Syndicated Conservation Easements
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Land Trust Alliance, a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America, today applauds the Biden Administration for including in its fiscal 2023 budget a proposal that would tackle abuse of the federal tax incentive for conservation easement donations. The following statement can be attributed to Andrew Bowman, president & CEO of the Land Trust Alliance:
On behalf of the Land Trust Alliance and its nearly 1,000 member land trusts, I applaud the White House for including in its 2023 budget a proposal that mirrors the provisions of the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act. That bipartisan, bicameral legislation supported by the Alliance would effectively halt the egregious abuse of the federal tax incentive for conservation easement donations.
For too long and at a terrible cost to taxpayers, bad actors have disguised abusive tax shelters as legitimate conservation donations. Including language in the fiscal 2023 budget that would disallow deductions generated by these transactions signifies the Administration’s strong support for halting this abuse while protecting a critical land conservation incentive.
The White House budget reflects a growing determination by the federal government to stop this abuse: Bipartisan members of Congress released a hard-hitting report on the matter in 2020; IRS officials have repeatedly announced increased enforcement actions against bad actors; and the U.S. Department of Justice is pursuing criminal charges, most recently announcing an indictment charging seven individuals with conspiracy to defraud the United States and other crimes arising from their involvement in these deals.
While these efforts are welcome and necessary, the abuse continues. We urge Congress to pass the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act as soon as possible. This bipartisan, bicameral bill is the most effective and expedient way to halt the abuse, protect a critical land conservation incentive and enact safeguards to protect American taxpayers from bad actors who have made millions turning conservation easement donations into profit opportunities.
More information about this issue is available at landtrustalliance.org/charitable-conservation-easement-program-integrity-act-advocate-toolkit.
About the Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance represents approximately 950 member land trusts supported by more than 250,000 volunteers and 6.3 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and operates several regional offices. More information about the Alliance is available at www.landtrustalliance.org.