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ATR Signs Letter Urging Treasury Department to Reject Retroactive Conservation Easement Tax Increases

Americans for Tax Reform
Isabelle Morales
March 11th, 2021

Americans for Tax Reform joined the National Taxpayers Union and the Center for a Free Economy in sending a coalition letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the administration fairly implement the conservation easement tax deduction and reject efforts to retroactively increase taxes on Americans.

The conservation easement deduction was first enacted in 1976 with the goal of incentivizing property owners to conserve land and historic sites through a charitable deduction. In order to claim the deduction, the taxpayer must agree to restrict their right to develop or alter the property. Organizations known as land trusts agree to monitor the restrictions placed on the property.

In recent years, the IRS has pushed burdensome compliance, examination, and enforcement procedures related to the conservation easement tax deduction. These trends will impact taxpayers across the country and could serve as a precedent to how tens of millions of taxpayers are treated in the future.

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