(Headline USA) Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who is running for the state’s open Senate seat, has avoided paying thousands of dollars in property taxes because of an agriculture-related exemption for her property, even though she is not using the property for agricultural purposes, according to the New York Post.
Slotkin lives in Holly, Michigan, about 55 miles northwest of Detroit. The property has been classified under “agricultural improvements,” which include “buildings, structures, or fixtures suitable for use in farming which are located on agricultural land.”
Property is considered “agricultural land” under Michigan law if at least 50% of it is being used for agricultural purposes.
This designation also comes with a 100% property-tax exemption.
Slotkin’s grandfather purchased the property in 1956 and used it to raise cattle, according to the Lansing City Pulse. It has passed through multiple hands in the Slotkin family since then, but no one else has used it for agricultural purposes.
According to Michigan law, once land is granted the “agricultural” designation it can continue to receive property tax exemptions, which means Slotkin has avoided paying $2,700 per year in taxes since she moved into the property in 2023.
However, Slotkin has claimed several times that she does conduct agricultural activity on the land, despite the fact that there are no applicable agricultural licenses in effect on it, according to the Post.
Earlier this year, Slotkin even joined three House colleagues in forming the Congressional Specialty Crops Caucus.
“Phony politician Elissa Slotkin is lying to Michigan voters and pretending she is a farmer,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Maggie Abboud. “Slotkin also lied about her ‘living arrangement’ at a lobbyist’s house, so this is not a surprise.”
Slotkin’s campaign denied that the congresswoman was exploiting the state’s property tax exemption.
“Rep. Slotkin’s farm has been in her family for three generations since 1956,” a spokesperson said. “It has been agricultural since then, and Oakland County has confirmed on multiple occasions that the property qualifies for the agricultural exemption.”
