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Equine businesses press for clearer current-use definitions and tax parity
Summary
Representatives of the Vermont Horse Council and the Farm Bureau urged lawmakers to clarify statutory definitions so qualifying equine operations receive comparable current-use treatment and tax exemptions for buildings used in farm operations.
Leaders of the Vermont Horse Council and the Farm Bureau told Southern Agriculture members that equine operations face inconsistent statutory definitions that can exclude them from current-use tax benefits enjoyed by other agricultural producers.
Jeanette Cole, president of the Vermont Horse Council, introduced the council’s concerns and material prepared for legislators. Cole said the council commissioned legal research to document how definitions of agriculture vary across state law and noted that equine operations are often regulated by required agricultural practices but do not receive equivalent tax treatment for equine-related buildings.
Heidi Kranz, chair of the Equine Industry Committee, said the committee is focused on commercial equine operations — boarding, therapeutic programs, breeders and agritourism businesses whose horses produce 51% or more of operating income — rather than backyard horse owners. “We're not advocating these changes to be across the board to backyard horse owners, but really focusing on the people who are trying to make their living,” Kranz said.
Kranz and Cole said disparities have economic consequences: Kranz said some equine businesses are leaving Vermont because they cannot afford to continue. The council provided a legal memo prepared by Vermont Law and Graduate School researchers to legislators and asked lawmakers to consider a statutory fix that would harmonize definitions and extend appropriate current-use protections or building exemptions to qualifying equine enterprises.
The presenters asked legislators to consult the memo and to seek testimony from equine operators when related bills move through committees. They emphasized they seek targeted statutory adjustments that preserve the conservation and land-use goals of current-use while ensuring commercially oriented equine businesses are not disadvantaged by inconsistent definitions.
Less critical detail: the Equine Industry Committee cited a 2019 economic-impact study showing more than 10,000 horses in the state and said it can provide that study and other materials to committees upon request.
