The Land Trust Alliance released a new statement on efforts to stem the syndication of conservation easement tax benefits: “Terms like ‘syndicated easements’ and ‘monetized easements’ probably aren’t part of your vocabulary. And there’s a good reason for that. These transactions and their profit motive have been denounced by the IRS, members of Congress and experts in our field. But these problematic transactions are growing in prominence and drawing IRS and media scrutiny. Land trusts all across the United States are now being asked to join deals that threaten the work of land trusts in our region and harm the reputation of our community. This issue is complex. But the bottom line is simple: These abuses are wrong. These abuses cheat taxpayers and the government. And these abuses invite scorn and sanctions that could undermine the land trust community’s ability to serve the public good. To steer clear of any potential problems, please read and follow the Land Trust Alliance’s guidance on this issue (See link below). Questions can be directed to Land Trust Alliance Conservation Defense Director Leslie Ratley-Beach at lrbeach@lta.org.
