Ag Tax May Change

     PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A state task force has agreed to look at
substantial changes in South Dakota's 2-year-old system for
determining the value of agricultural land for property tax
purposes.
     Property taxes used to be based on the selling prices of
comparable farm land, but that system was scrapped because there
were not enough agricultural sales to set a valid market price.
Taxable value is now based on income produced by the land.
     The taxable value of pasture land is based on average cash rent
over an 8-year period. The taxable value of cropland is calculated
according to revenue based on an 8-year average of yield and crop
prices.
     The task force decided to look at ways to speed up changes in
taxable values and to use cash rent to set cropland values.