REMOVAL OF ROAD KILL
We recommend passage of a law requiring the
West Virginia Division of Highways to remove all
animals killed by motor vehicles from state highway
property and to dispose of such in a sanitary manner.
WV DIVISION OF HIGHWAYS
SPRAYING
Farm Bureau recommends that the West Virginia
Division of Highways use caution in using herbicides
along highway rights-of-ways.
AGRICULTURAL EXEMPTION FROM
FMCS REGULATIONS
Farm Bureau supports changes in the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety (FMCS) Regulations which
would exempt farmers from regulations, including
mileage limitations, when conducting normal
agricultural operations even when state boundaries
are crossed.
RECYCLING OF MATERIAL FOR
HIGHWAYS
Farm Bureau recommends that the West Virginia
Division of Highways initiate action to recycle
surfacing material for use in construction and/or
repair of roads.
We further recommend that the West Virginia
Division of Highways initiate action to utilize rubber
from recycled tires in the construction of and/or
maintenance of roads.
TAXES
ENERAL TAX POLICY
G
Taxation is used to share the costs of
government in areas which government can best
serve the common good of all citizens. Taxation
should never be used to provide revenue to replace
individual initiative and the free enterprise system.
Taxation should be fair and equally distributed
with attention to the effect upon citizens and
various segments of the economy. WVFB
recommends that the ‘user of services pays’
concept should be utilized whenever possible.
Governments do not produce wealth. A stable
and broad-based tax program affords stability
of business activities. Existing government
programs should respect, preserve, and encourage
wealth-producing activities such as agriculture,
manufacturing, mining, exploration, research
and development, upon which individual
wealth, employment and responsible growth are
based. Farming is a business with large capital
investments. Every effort must be made to
consolidate government agencies and minimize the
negative impact of bureaucracy.
GRICULTURAL LAND & REAL
A
ESTATE TAXATION
Real estate taxation should be fair and in
conformity with existing constitutional limitations.
It is fundamental to remember that property
owners also pay all other taxes. The farmer is
especially vulnerable to unfair property tax
or assessments because of the amount of land
necessary to farm.
Farm Bureau endorses the statewide review of
taxation, but believes the fair treatment of owner
occupied residences and farmland is essential
to stable rural communities and must remain so.
Dwellings that are not owner occupied are taxed
at the Class III rate, even if the dwellings do not
generate any income. We recommend that all nonincome producing dwellings be taxed at the Class
II rate.
Agricultural land and managed forestland
should be valued as a tool in the production of
food and fiber – not on a speculative or other
potential use basis. We oppose any change in West
Virginia’s property tax methodology, particularly
for farmland and managed timberland, which
would depart from the “present-use” method of
arriving at value.
Property taxes are slowly, but constantly,
increasing