skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Payments in lieu of taxes. Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Environment and Land Resources of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-Fourth Congress, Second Session on S. 3468 and H. R. 9719, August 27, 1976

Book ·
OSTI ID:7318697

Hearings were held on S. 3468 and H. R. 9719 to consider payments in lieu of taxes by the Department of Interior to local governments as compensation for the use of public lands. Senators and Representatives of several Western states, where Federal landholdings comprise up to 87 percent of the land, spoke in favor of the bill. The bill covers ten categories of Federal lands, including national parks, forests, wilderness areas, and land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Local governments, burdened by lost revenues and the expense of meeting the requirements of federally funded programs, need in lieu of tax payments in order to provide necessary services. Hon. John Kyl of the Department of Interior, while recognizing that the present system of compensation is not uniform, objected on the grounds that straight payments of 75 cents per acre would lack the land value appraisal recommended by the Public Land Law Commission. Mr. Kyl recommended a comprehensive study of Federal land and compensation based on formulas calculated from both tax revenues and benefits gained by Federal ownership. The bill, which would cancel all other direct payments, could result in a loss of revenue for some counties. The Forestry Service concurred with Kyl's objections. (DCK)

OSTI ID:
7318697
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English