Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013
Senator Chuck Grassley made the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture made available additional information about farm payments being received by general partnerships and joint ventures through people using the "active personal management only."
The figures are a more detailed look at information provided in a Government Accountability Office report that Grassley released last month. According to the GAO report, entities set up as General Partnerships received about $159 million while entities set up as Joint Ventures received $12 million in 2012 through extra 'active personal management only' persons. Click here to see the breakdown by state of the information provided by the Department of Agriculture. The amounts going to states through this loophole range from more than $52 million per year to nearly $1,000 per year.
"More than $172 million went out the door in 2012 through this loophole. The data provided by the Department of Agriculture shows that the loophole is exploited by some states more than others. The loophole is closed in both the House and Senate bills, yet it's still a discussion point. The United States has a $17 trillion debt, unsustainable entitlements, and record land prices, yet we're hearing some members of Congress still don't want to tighten the law that would do nothing more than prevent a few of the biggest, wealthiest farmers from exploiting taxpayers."
