We want uncomplicated tax laws, rules and regulations. We want a tax form simple enough for lawmakers themselves to fill out. Your AFBF policies oppose any additional taxes on any farm commodity and the adoption of a federal value-added tax or a national sales tax. Another priority for our organization is defending our right to own and manage private property. Farm Bureau members across the country tell me of the bureaucratic tangles they face, trying to farm under an increasing wave of restrictions and regulations.
Legislative remedies are few and far between.
All of the proposed laws that guarantee the guarantees already promised in our Constitution's Fifth Amendment offer a portion of our property free to government takers before we receive compensation. Accepted confiscation levels range from 20 percent to 50 percent of the value of the affected property. That may seem like a fair amount if you are not a property owner. It does not sound fair to me. Instead of belting us with regulatory 2x4s, the government should offer incentives, such as a critical habitat reserve program to assist the comeback of endangered species or the conservation reserve program to maintain and retain precious resources.