Reasonable tax level

Ag lenders, insurers, dirt movers, trucking, timber, concrete, steel, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, equipment vendors and installers—this is a partial list of those industries and individuals who benefit economically while a poultry house is under construction. They all pay taxes.

In addition, there are other enterprises that enjoy economic benefits when the poultry house is up and going. That partial list includes electricity providers, natural gas and propane suppliers, maintenance technicians, field service reps, water treatment personnel, feed and live haul truckers, litter service companies, cattle and hay operations, automobile, farm machinery and equipment dealers, processing plants, feed mills, hatcheries and their delivery systems. Taxes are collected in one form or another from each of these entities and individuals.

The young men and women who collectively have made a multimillion-dollar investment in their communities are not just poultry farmers. They are also small-business owners and job creators. They have chosen to be on call 24/7, have no company paid vacations, health insurance or retirement benefits, yet they help provide job opportunities for those who do. They pay taxes on their homes, land, and personal property just like everyone else. Surely, taxing their job-creating businesses on a fair and equitable basis is not too much to ask.

To those who have paid lip service to the fact that small-business/job creators are the backbone of our economy, it’s time to walk the talk!

The authority to approve the proposed doubling of poultry house assessments from $4.50 to $9 per square foot lies solely with the local county tax assessor. Please contact your assessor and insist that a more reasonable assessment level be found. BILL MAINER

Branch