American prairie. What's the issue?

[Nameless Range]

As far as their desired end-state is concerned, to 99% of Montanans, UPOM is an Anti-Hunting and Fishing Organization.

Imagine if UPOM had their way. In such a bleak state of affairs, to quote Denowh, "the rest of us should reflect on what we are losing." It would be exponentially worse than what APR (on whose lands I can go hunting on this fall), could ever dream of achieving.

 

[SAJ-99]

As far as their desired end-state is concerned, to 99% of Montanans, UPOM is an Anti-Hunting and Fishing Organization.

Imagine if UPOM had their way. In such a bleak state of affairs, to quote Denowh, "the rest of us should reflect on what we are losing." It would be exponentially worse than what APR (on whose lands I can go hunting on this fall), could ever dream of achieving.

He seems anti-non-profit too. Geez, that was a wild op-ed.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

Is he correct that they don't have to pay property taxes or any other taxes?

 

[SAJ-99]

Is he correct that they don't have to pay property taxes or any other taxes?

NO! It's in the APR FAQs.
Edit: NPs don't pay income taxes.

Does American Prairie pay taxes? Yes. American Prairie pays real estate property taxes on all of the land owned by the organization. American Prairie may be eligible for an exemption for a small portion of our property acres (up to 160 acres), we choose to fully pay all property taxes.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

NO! It's in the APR FAQs.
Edit: NPs don't pay income taxes.

Does American Prairie pay taxes? Yes. American Prairie pays real estate property taxes on all of the land owned by the organization. American Prairie may be eligible for an exemption for a small portion of our property acres (up to 160 acres), we choose to fully pay all property taxes.

I figured he was fibbing with that one.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Nonprofits are exempt from paying income taxes. They still pay property, payroll, fuel, etc taxes. When their employees or members stay at hotels, they pay lodging taxes, when they buy drinks, they pay the state tax on liquor, etc.

https://www.findlaw.com/smallbusiness/business-taxes/do-nonprofits-pay-taxes-.html#:~:text=In%20most%20cases%2C%20when%20they,furthering%20the%20organization's%20exempt%20purpose.

 

[Big Fin]

Non-profits also pay Unrelated Business Income (UBI) Tax on any business activities not related to their exempt purpose. It is imposed at the highest corporate tax rate. An example is if a non-profit operated a hotel and competed with neighboring hotels. They would get taxed on any net profit from operating that hotel.

Passive income is statutorily excluded - those being rents, royalties, interest, dividends, capital gains, and other forms of investment income.

Mr. Denowh should probably stay away from tax advice and financial statement interpretation. I could pick apart pretty much all of his claims, but I'll use the biggest one he seems wound up about.

The $63million of contributions to AP is not taxable, true. Yet, the same applies to a group that raises $63million of capital contributions to start an LLC. Both are a way of providing capital to operate and neither is taxable, whether raised by a non-profit or a for-profit.

Yes, when capital is provided to a non-profit, it may be deductible to an individual, within the allowed IRS limits and guidelines. When capital is provided to a for-profit, it is not deductible at the time contributed, rather at such time there are distributions of capital or a sale that generates capital gain/loss.

His understanding of the tax code is either poor due to ignorance or his knowledge is adequate and he is intentionally misleading in his commentary.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Dear Editor: Response to Chuck Denowh

Dear Editor, Your paper recently published an editorial by Chuck Denowh discussing American Prairie’s recent purchase of the 73 Ranch. Some of the statements made by Mr. Denowh can lead the reader to the conclusion that American Prairie doesn’t pay taxes and doesn’t contribute to Montana’s...

www.whitehallledger.com

Thought this was a good response, as well.

 

[Treeshark]

he is intentionally misleading in his commentary.

Judging by the various other ridiculous claims he sprinkled through that, I would lean in this direction.

 

[JEL]

I always wondered how UPOM ignores the property rights of those that choose to sell their property to whoever the hell they want to. Isn't that a property owners right as well?

 

[Treeshark]

Dear Editor: Response to Chuck Denowh

Dear Editor, Your paper recently published an editorial by Chuck Denowh discussing American Prairie’s recent purchase of the 73 Ranch. Some of the statements made by Mr. Denowh can lead the reader to the conclusion that American Prairie doesn’t pay taxes and doesn’t contribute to Montana’s...

www.whitehallledger.com

Thought this was a good response, as well.

I thought his rebuttal was beautifully written.

I really liked this part:

“Naysayers will continue to argue American Prairie and other non-profits enjoy an unfair advantage when purchasing a property because their donors receive write-offs for charitable contributions through the federal tax code. That same federal tax code provides Montanans numerous tax advantages including agricultural producers who enjoy many special tax breaks and subsidized benefits.”

 

[SAJ-99]

I thought his rebuttal was beautifully written.

I really liked this part:

“Naysayers will continue to argue American Prairie and other non-profits enjoy an unfair advantage when purchasing a property because their donors receive write-offs for charitable contributions through the federal tax code. That same federal tax code provides Montanans numerous tax advantages including agricultural producers who enjoy many special tax breaks and subsidized benefits.”

While I agree the response is good, I’m not sure logic and facts are the driving factor here. Our best bet is he gets a visit from the non-profit mafias (LDS, Hutterites, etc) reminding him that the first rule of being tax advantaged is we don’t talk about tax advatages.

 

[Straight Arrow]

I always wondered how UPOM ignores the property rights of those that choose to sell their property to whoever the hell they want to. Isn't that a property owners right as well?

The name United Property Owners of Montana seems a misnomer as the organization disavows the basic private property principle of willing seller - willing buyer!

 

[Elky Welky]

Judging by the various other ridiculous claims he sprinkled through that, I would lean in this direction.

I watched him stand up in a hearing about hunter crowding and boldly say that the problem isn't that there's too many hunters, but that there's too many elk, and then proceed to use data about all the elk the Wilks won't let anyone hunt as his example. He then concluded that the solution is more hunters on public (and of course, more bull tags for private landowners), even though everyone had already pointed out that more hunters on public just herd more animals onto private.

But who needs logic when you have money behind your cause?

Another common misconception about AP is that they are buying properties above market price and "buying out" other interested buyers. As a nonprofit, they have to pay market value, and are not allowed to go over that. They've lost out on a number of sales because someone else outbid them.

 

[BourbonSnowCone]

Like Austin Knudsen’s ill-fated bill to ban non-profits from purchasing land in MT, it seems Chuck has also forgotten about the non-profit status of churches. LDS church owns almost 200,000 acres in MT. Think the funding for those purchases was taxed?

 

[Forkyfinder]

Like Austin Knudsen’s ill-fated bill to ban non-profits from purchasing land in MT, it seems Chuck has also forgotten about the non-profit status of churches. LDS church owns almost 200,000 acres in MT. Think the funding for those purchases was taxed?

What a narrow idiot view. Take away non-profits ability to buy land cause you dont like the APR? There'd be a lot other non-profits damaged in the wake of his personal vendetta. What a tool.

 

[Nameless Range]

What a narrow idiot view. Take away non-profits ability to buy land cause you dont like the APR? There'd be a lot other non-profits damaged in the wake of his personal vendetta. What a tool.

Like the RMEF for one. Or the Conservation Fund, whose purchase of Westphal Parks in the Tobacco Root Mountains just added nearly a section of land to the Public Trust.



The fact of the matter though, is this line of thinking isn't new. For decades from the 50's through the 80's, there was an effort in the Montana legislature to make it so the Hutterites couldn't purchase land either. Back then, the Republicans were often a minority in the legislature, and I once spoke the man who was then the minority whip about it and it was interesting. There's always been wacky ideas in the sausage factory. Not only would it very likely be determined unconstitutional, it's just short sighted as hell.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Perhaps, in the interest of watching out for the best interests of the taxpayers’ wallets all agricultural subsidies should be eliminated… you know if we’re really concerned about the taxpayers money…

 

[BrentD]

Like the RMEF for one. Or the Conservation Fund, whose purchase of Westphal Parks in the Tobacco Root Mountains just added nearly a section of land to the Public Trust.

View attachment 332208

The fact of the matter though, is this line of thinking isn't new. For decades from the 50's through the 80's, there was an effort in the Montana legislature to make it so the Hutterites couldn't purchase land either. Back then, the Republicans were often a minority in the legislature, and I once spoke the man who was then the minority whip about it and it was interesting. There's always been wacky ideas in the sausage factory. Not only would it very likely be determined unconstitutional, it's just short sighted as hell.

It aint just Montana.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I thought his rebuttal was beautifully written.

I really liked this part:

“Naysayers will continue to argue American Prairie and other non-profits enjoy an unfair advantage when purchasing a property because their donors receive write-offs for charitable contributions through the federal tax code. That same federal tax code provides Montanans numerous tax advantages including agricultural producers who enjoy many special tax breaks and subsidized benefits.”

Perhaps, in the interest of watching out for the best interests of the taxpayers’ wallets all agricultural subsidies should be eliminated… you know if we’re really concerned about the taxpayers money…

Its cute that he represents an organization that champions free stuff for landowners and whines about APR not paying their fair share.

Talk to me when it costs as much to feed a goldfish as it does one of your cows on taxpayer property.