Brownback OKs tax exemption to help repair fencing damaged in fires

Farmers and ranchers with fencing damaged by recent wildfires will receive a sales tax exemption to help with repairs, under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Sam Brownback.

The bill came in response to wildfires that burned more than 700,000 acres in Kansas. The Kansas Adjutant General’s Department has said the fires destroyed miles of fencing.

Lawmakers passed a similar tax exemption last year to help farmers and ranchers after fires in Comanche and Barber counties. The bill signed by Brownback essentially extends the exemption put in place after the 2016 fires.

“People rebuild, and these have happened to us before. But it really can and does have a long-term impact in areas,” Brownback said.

The Kansas Department of Revenue is preparing a website that will inform farmers and ranchers how they can use the exemption. The website is expected to go live Thursday.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Brownback OKs tax exemption to help repair fencing damaged in fires."