Thomas Daschle: “Today we have an opportunity to enact long-overdue legislation that would increase the payments in lieu of taxes to…”

“Today we have an opportunity to enact long-overdue legislation that would increase the payments in lieu of taxes to counties. This issue is about equity. It is about the Federal Government living up to its responsibilities and it is about ensuring that counties are not penalized for having Federal lands. Simply put, PILT payments currently are insufficient to meet the Federal responsibility to counties. In the past, PILT payments have been important to South Dakota. However, their value has substantially diminished as inflation has wiped out much of their original worth. Without adequate payments to counties, the very presence of Federal land in those counties can be considered an unfunded mandate--a burden imposed by the Federal Government for which there is insufficient compensation. This body has heard the concerns raised by local governments with respect to unfunded mandates. Many are well justified. The lack of sufficient compensation for the presence of nontaxable Federal lands justifiably causes outrage. It creates a great disparity among counties as those with large tracts of Federal land are deprived of much of their tax base.”