Greed isn’t a new imperative for Simpson Timber co. But transparently thumbing the eyes of its neighbors may be. The privately held corporation has decided to charge $250\/yr. for vehicle permits to enter its forest lands in Mason County–limited to a couple of hundred. Other permits will allow entering on foot for $125\/yr., also limited editions.<\/p>\n
The corporation enjoys property tax rates of 10 cents (sometimes as low as 5) on the dollar for what residents would pay for the same holdings without the commercial timberland exemption law passed in the 1930’s in response to industry lobbyists. The company owns roughly 20% of the acreage in Mason County (i.e. by far the largest private holder<\/em>) but, pays almost nothing in property taxes. Still, sympathy for the Devil requires a sober look at what would become of these vast tree farms without such tax incentives…massive housing tracks and shopping centers a la Lacey, WA? There’s also the issue of some miscreants using Simpson land, et al, as their personal free dump site (including Simpson itself!). This is likely a result of the exorbitant fees associated with the County’s official dump site.<\/p>\n Readers can read more about this obnoxious policy, including reactionary comments from local residents at KMAS Radio’s web site.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greed isn’t a new imperative for Simpson Timber co. But transparently thumbing the eyes of its neighbors may be. The privately held corporation has decided to charge $250\/yr. for vehicle permits to enter its forest lands in Mason County–limited to … Continue reading