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"I bought a few cows for a write off"

Posted on 6/5/24 at 9:12 pm
Posted by GAFF
Georgia
Member since Aug 2010
2604 posts
Posted on 6/5/24 at 9:12 pm
I hear everyone say this. How does this work? Everything I've seen makes this sound like a hobby farm but their CPA's mark it up as a legit farm.

All started because the wife wants goats and a friend commented how it would be "a good write off". What am I missing?
Posted by slackster
Houston
Member since Mar 2009
89637 posts
Posted on 6/5/24 at 9:40 pm to
I believe it’s more a joke than anything else.

These same people buy $80k trucks they don’t need so they can save $20k on taxes.
Posted by JohnnyKilroy
Cajun Navy Vice Admiral
Member since Oct 2012
38472 posts
Posted on 6/5/24 at 10:01 pm to
quote:

These same people buy $80k trucks they don’t need so they can save $20k on taxes.


I saw a dave ramsey clip on ig where some woman said she and her husband financed a brand new vehicle specifically so they could deduct interest expense.
Posted by Thundercles
Mars
Member since Sep 2010
6039 posts
Posted on 6/5/24 at 10:41 pm to
IRS lets you lose money on a business for a few years before they deem it a hobby. If you start a farm operation the cost of the cows are an expense you can write off.
Posted by Junky
Louisiana
Member since Oct 2005
8841 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 5:57 am to
quote:

IRS lets you lose money on a business for a few years before they deem it a hobby. If you start a farm operation the cost of the cows are an expense you can write off.


People get pissed about farmers writing off "toys" but don't want to talk about working outside when its 15 degrees outside, or 110 heat index. They don't want to talk about working before the sun is up or past sunset because it is calving season.

Those people don't want to lift 50lbs bags of mineral into troughs or perform work on their tractors.

Yes, I write off our SxS depreciation, because I use it every dang day. We write off trailers because we use them.

We changed CPAs as the IRS had some issues which can be a giant pain to deal with. Still looking for another CPA as the we don't really like our new one.
Posted by slackster
Houston
Member since Mar 2009
89637 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 6:55 am to
Relax bro. I don’t think anyone is talking about full time farmers.
Posted by WhiskeyThrottle
Weatherford Tx
Member since Nov 2017
6459 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 7:29 am to
Until about a decade ago, at least in certain Texas counties, if you had some number of split hooved animals (why they said cows and not horses), you could file a property tax exemption. I don't know all the rules, but there was a certain number of head per acre and possibly some other criteria.

The counties figured out how to steal more money some time ago and decided that if you wanted to be a farmer and be exempt from property tax, 51% of your income or more has to be made by the purpose of the tax exemption. So you must make 51% or more of your income from the cattle on your land to be eligible for the property tax exemption. And you must do it for some number of years (3 I believe) before you are eligible for property tax exemption.

All taxation is theft, but there is no bigger tax sham than property tax. Social Security isn't a "tax" by definition, but it's a close second to how politicians rob us.
Posted by Back to Scat
Dry Prong
Member since Feb 2024
489 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 8:40 am to
Relax bro. I don’t think anyone is talking about full time farmers.

The IRS and LDR are pretty good at differentiating between a full time farm and a hobby farm. The IRS has a list of qualifications... it is not absolute, but if your plan is to own 2 cows, and plant a row of corn... and write off a a bunch of money, it won't work for long.
This post was edited on 6/8/24 at 11:00 am
Posted by JohnnyKilroy
Cajun Navy Vice Admiral
Member since Oct 2012
38472 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 9:47 am to
quote:

All taxation is theft, but there is no bigger tax sham than property tax.


Property tax is the best tax, if one must be taxed.
Posted by deltaland
Member since Mar 2011
96728 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 9:52 am to
In MS you can get a farm affidavit where certain equipment and parts purchases are 1.5% sales tax instead of the usual 7%.

You get tax free fuel.

There’s a ton of tax benefits to farmers.

I think the goat/cattle thing had something to do with grant money or a big tax credit the USDA has. I know several large rowcrop operations that bought a few goats so they could qualify for it
Posted by Bleezy
Dirty South
Member since Sep 2018
278 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 10:01 am to
quote:

Property tax is the best tax, if one must be taxed.


Said no property owner ever...
Posted by Thundercles
Mars
Member since Sep 2010
6039 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 10:21 am to
quote:

People get pissed about farmers writing off "toys" but don't want to talk about working outside when its 15 degrees outside, or 110 heat index

???

Write off everything possible. No one here is against this. The government deserves exactly zero of your dollars.
Posted by AuburnTigers
Member since Aug 2013
14190 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 10:36 am to
quote:

it is not absolute, but if your plan is to own 2 cows, and plant a row of corn... and write off a a bunch of money, it won't work for long.
it'll work for a few years though
Posted by Teddy Ruxpin
Member since Oct 2006
40134 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 11:36 am to
quote:

Said no property owner ever...


From the "you never own" your land thinking it is lame.

However, property taxes effectively allow you to choose your tax rate by what land you choose to purchase. So in that way it is better vs income taxation.

Two people making the same income can have different tax liabilities depending on what they purchase.

This isn't a defense of property taxes existing. But in the real world taxes exist on numerous things so we can only judge them relatively to other taxes.
This post was edited on 6/6/24 at 11:40 am
Posted by Joshjrn
Baton Rouge
Member since Dec 2008
29907 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 11:42 am to
quote:

Property tax is the best tax, if one must be taxed.

100% disagree. If there are property taxes that result in forfeiture of ownership if not paid, that’s not ownership.

If there is a tax, it should be a flat tax on consumption. No exceptions, no loopholes, no tiers, no minimums, no limits, no, no, no.
Posted by JohnnyKilroy
Cajun Navy Vice Admiral
Member since Oct 2012
38472 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 11:53 am to
quote:

If there is a tax, it should be a flat tax on consumption. No exceptions, no loopholes, no tiers, no minimums, no limits, no, no, no.
Disincentivizes productivity and commerce. Horrible tax.
This post was edited on 6/6/24 at 11:56 am
Posted by JohnnyKilroy
Cajun Navy Vice Admiral
Member since Oct 2012
38472 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 11:55 am to
quote:

Said no property owner ever...



I own property and give me property tax every single fricking time over an income tax or a sales tax.
This post was edited on 6/6/24 at 11:55 am
Posted by GeauxTigers123
Member since Feb 2007
2308 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 11:58 am to
I know a family in Texas that started a “honey business” with bees to get the property tax reduced on the few acres they live on. I haven’t read into the actual rules and details.
Posted by deltafarmer
Member since Dec 2019
789 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 12:38 pm to
My brother in law bought a few cows for a write off because he had the land to put them on. After a few years of chasing cows around his neighborhood after they repeatedly got out, patching fences to try to keep them in and having to help a few of the heifers to have their calves, he decided to just pay the taxes instead of owning a few cows.
Posted by southside
SW of Monroe
Member since Aug 2018
642 posts
Posted on 6/6/24 at 1:07 pm to
Uni of Kentucky clarified it for you.

LINK
This post was edited on 6/6/24 at 1:08 pm
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