TAX BREAKS Results of loopholes

Some examples of developers who used loopholes to get tax breaks:
In Iowa, real estate developer Knapp Properties Inc. owns 239 acres near the Des Moines Airport. The land, near a Wingate Hotel and a Federal Reserve check-processing plant, is subdivided for commercial development and is for sale at a total price of $7 million. But because Knapp allows local farmers to plant corn and soybeans on it, the company paid $14,345 in property taxes last year instead of $320,514.
In Denver, Delmer Zweygardt is building a subdivision called Deer Creek Farms. As the houses started going up, he grazed a few cows on the edge of the property. City officials pointed out that zoning laws don't allow cows in a subdivision, but the state board of assessment ruled that the presence of cows was enough to qualify Zweygardt for the tax break anyway. This reduced his total tax bill on 48 house lots from $22,000 a year to $60 until the subdivision was nearly completed in 2002, leaving no room for cows.
In Mobile County, Ala., Delaney's Inc. has planted pine seedlings on 54 acres left over after building a Hampton Inn, a Marriott Courtyard, a Lowe's and a Wal-Mart. This "tree farm" has been subdivided and laced with paved streets in preparation for development, and local officials insist the land is not suitable for growing timber. But the developer's lawyer pointed out that the law doesn't require Delaney's to be a good farmer -- just a farmer. The result: a 2003 tax bill of $152 instead of $64,230.
Source: Associated Press