A portion of the revenue reimburses for local administration, maintenance, and first responders.
The Department of the Interior announced that $578 million will be distributed to governments with public lands as Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for 2023.
Local governments do important work to maintain the public lands in their jurisdiction but are not able to glean tax money for the work they do. Federal lands generate billions of dollars worth of annual income for the federal government, but because of their legal distinction as public lands, local governments cannot tax that income. To account for this imbalance, the Interior Department distributes PILT payments every year, accounting for acreage and commercial use of public lands by location.
“PILT payments help local governments carry out vital services, such as firefighting and police protection, construction of public schools and roads, and search-and-rescue operations.” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Joan Mooney. “We are grateful for our ongoing partnerships with local jurisdictions across the country who help the Interior Department fulfill our mission on behalf of the American public.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Haaland as she heads the Department of the Interior.
- For PDAS Mooney as she helps in the distribution of PILT funds.
- For local governments as they expend resources to care for public lands.
Sources: Department of the Interior
