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The clipping this text was read from

By DAPHNE HUTCHINSON

lUppahawocfc Newi Staff Writer

Advocates of county-wide use value taxation outMumbared oppcnsnU at the board of supervisors’ public hearing on land use held last Thursday in the elementary school auditorium.

Supervisor chairman E. P. Luke was the only speaker clearly against enactment of the proposed use value ordinance. "I'm not saying anyone’s going to be taxed out of their house but we’re moving in that direction,” he said, maintaining that adoption of land use will shift the tax burden unfairly onto house and lot owners.

“The basis of a tax on land is demand for services," argued Sperryville attorney Bill Fletcher, noting that farm land creates no service demand. “Land use taxation isn’t the ultimate goal for stopping growth but it deters it...Try it,” he suggested to the supervisors. “See what happens and how it affects the people," Fletcher recommended, adding that the supervisors can always revoke land use if it impacts too heavily on small lot and house owners.

VPI specialist Paxton Marshall led off the speakers on Thursday night explaining that with use value taxation, land is valued in accordance with its earnings as opposed to market price for speculative purposes.

Enabling legislation for land use was passed by Virginia’s General Assembly in 1971 in response to the situation around urban areas where fair market value climbed much higher than earning power of land, according to Marshall. “Fair market value went up so high that a very high proportion of the net earnings of the land went into taxes, often in

Cancer Goal

$800 Away

April 30, the official end of the Cancer Crusade’s annual fund drive, has passed with the Rappahannock unit $800 short of its fair share goal.

To date, $2,500 has been received. The county is expected to contribute $3,300.

Those who want to participate but haven’t been contacted by door-to-door volunteers may send tax deductible contributions to the chairman of this year's local Crusade, Mrs. Pat Giles, at Box 96, Washington, Va. 22747.

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