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Developers who use property tax breaks intended to benefit farmers defend the practice. Developers and land speculators say the 31-year-old state law, which defers property taxes on farmland and forestland, helps preserve open space and trees, which benefit everyone. They say land growing crops or timber does not need local services, such as schools and police protection, that property taxes support. But some farmers and lawmakers have concerns about the law, and a group in the General Assembly is studying the issue. Sherrill Jernigan farms land near Godwin and is president of the Cumberland County Farm Bureau. He worries that developers’ use of the program could hurt it. ‘‘I am fearful that eventually it might lead to the demise of the program,’’ he said. ‘‘Any time you have abuses to it, it brings attention to it.’’ Aaron Donaldson, Cumberland County’s tax administrator, said he is unaware of abuses in the program.
Approximate Word count = 544
Approximate Pages = 2.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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