IRS Wins $20 Million in Georgia Conservation Easement Disputes

The U.S. Tax Court sided with the IRS on four conservation easement disputes, allowing the agency to reject more than $20 million in deductions. Reason: The properties weren’t being protected in perpetuity.

The four cases involved “substantially similar deeds of easement,” the court said, concerning several limited liability companies purchasing and donating nearly 700 acres in Effingham County, Ga.

Englewood Place filed a $4.7 million deduction for 130 acres, Maple Landing claimed $6.7 million for 283 acres, Riverside Place claimed $4.07 million for 114 acres, and the Villages ...