A state lawmaker wants to crack down on what he calls abuses in the state Clean and Green program that give unintended tax breaks to country clubs and golf courses, among others.
"These abuses of the existing law are causing the other property owners in all counties around Pennsylvania to carry a greater tax burden," state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, said Thursday during a news conference at the Allegheny County Courthouse, Downtown.
Fontana said his proposed reform was spurred by news reports in recent years detailing abuses.
"We certainly aren't doing this to hurt anybody that legitimately should be in that program, but we're trying to weed out those that should be out," he said.
A July 2004 story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review documented local failings of the Clean and Green program, which was enacted in 1974 to fight sprawl and cut taxes for family farmers by offering property assessment discounts for agriculture and forest preservation.
The Trib's examination found discounts going to golf courses, Sewickley Heights mansions, condominium complexes and thousands of acres owned by developers with no clear intent to use the land for agricultural or preservation purposes.
Clean and Green allows property owners to seek discounts under three categories -- agriculture use, agriculture reserve and forest reserve. The land use is restricted for seven years and the parcel must be at least 10 acres.
Fontana's bill would require at least 30 acres for the agriculture reserve and forest reserve categories. The requirement for agriculture use would remain at 10 acres.
The law would require assessors to inspect properties to verify that use of the land conforms with the law's intent.
Allegheny County Councilman William Lestitian, D-Brookline, said he will introduce a bill locally to complement Fontana's.
"Unfortunately, because of several of these loopholes, the public's confidence in these programs has been eroded," Lestitian said.
Fontana's proposal specifically excludes golf courses, country clubs and other commercial entertainment venues from Clean and Green eligibility.
About 1,100 properties in Allegheny County get $3 million a year in tax breaks under the program, Lestitian said.
More than 70 of those parcels would no longer qualify for their existing agriculture reserve status because they are smaller than 30 acres, Lestitian said.
Changes in the law would have a more pronounced impact in rural areas, such as Washington County, where 7,608 properties -- covering about 370,000 acres -- get the discount.
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