Tax relief for Indiana farmers passes through the General Assembly

INDIANAPOLIS (WLFI) - A bill that provides tax relief for farmers was fast-tracked by the Indiana General Assembly.
    
Senate Bill 319 addresses the assessment of farmland for property taxes.
    
State Rep. Don Lehe (R-25) from Brookston sponsored the bill. He said over the last seven to 10 years, there's been a large increase in farmland assessment, based in part on a soil-productivity factor.
    
Lehe said his bill would freeze the soil-productivity factors at their current level.
    
The bill requires state tax officials and Purdue researchers to prepare a review of the soil-productivity measurement for the Legislature to consider next year.

"Property tax assessment, like homesteads, other businesses,  personal property have either come down significantly or stayed about the same. Where, like I said, farmland assessment has increased by as much as 33 percent," said Lehe.

In other Statehouse news, the full House is expected to consider the budget Wednesday, which passed out of the Ways and Means Committee Monday. Lawmakers believe the budget will be passed to the Senate sometime next week and finalized by April.