In an opinion dated Friday, April 24, 2015, the First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against Gordon and Lorna Kaufman in their long-running easement fight with the IRS. In its published opinion (which you can read here), the First Circuit held that the Kaufmans could properly be assessed a 40% penalty for claiming $220,800 in charitable deductions for the donation of a façade easement that was later shown to be valueless. Let’s walk through the Kaufman case together and discover how it might be relevant to those wishing to donate conservation easements in Virginia. Continue reading First Circuit Decides Kaufman V, Rules Against Landowners in Easement Valuation Dispute
Zoning and Land Planning
Governor McAuliffe Announces Funding for Farmland Preservation Grants in Six Localities
On Monday, January 12, 2015, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that six Virginia localities had been awarded a total of more than $1,581,000 in funding to preserve working farmland through the localities’ purchase of development rights (PDR) programs. The named localities include Albemarle County, Fauquier County, James City County, Stafford County, Clarke County, and the City of Virginia Beach. PDR programs provide funding for the purchase of perpetual conservation easements from landowners, as opposed to many conservation easement programs which rely on landowners to donate easements. Continue reading Governor McAuliffe Announces Funding for Farmland Preservation Grants in Six Localities