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"There are inequities on both sides," Paxton Marshall agreed. He added that all property in an ag district doesn't have to be farm land, that property which won’t qualify for use value taxation can be included in order to meet the 500 acre minimum.
With land use taxation, "where are the deferred taxes' ■Mftedt'* asked Mary Edna Schaefer.
"If s shifted' ‘to the land that's not approved for land use taxation, to other real property that doesn't qualify for use value taxation," Marshall answered.
Supervisor H. B. Wood agreed that adoption of county-wide land use will shift a portion of the tax burden from land to houses. He pointed out, however, that under the county’s new 100 percent fair market value assessment which takes effect next year, the tax burden will shift dramatically from houses to land WITHOUT use value taxation.
As owner of a house and small lot in the town of Washington, Frank Reynolds noted that he will benefit from land use taxation if it encourages the preservation of farm and forest land. “Fairfax County is not going to pop up around me overnight...If land use taxation works to preserve farmland. Rappahannock will maintain its unique character,” he said. “Some of us are willing to pay extra taxes to get that," Reynolds added.
Land use taxation “might be a dam to hold the horde away but it’s no guarantee," Luke countered. He agreed that house and lot owners like Reynolds might be willing to absorb some of the tax burden shifted with use value taxation but maintained there’s a limit to how much additional tax burden people will accept in order to preserve Rappahannock’s character. “When that point comes, what’s a governing body supposed to do?” he asked, adding that the county was moving in the direction of taxing people out of their houses.
Farmers are also being taxed off their land, Miriam Harris reminded the supervisor chairman.
Bankston asked how long the average landowner stays in a use value taxation program.
“We don’t know,” Luke replied, maintaining that lack of specific data created problems in reaching an informed decision of the pros and cons of use value taxation.
Newbill Miller reported on a study he conducted, comparing taxes on ten houses selected at random, two from each magisterial district, with farm taxes. The
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