Lawmakers and trade groups are working to change a provision in the new tax law that gives farmer cooperatives an edge. Above, workers plant seedlings at Brattle Farm in Pittsfield, Ma., in April 2017. Photo: Stephanie Zollshan/Associated PressAgriculture trade groups and federal officials are working to change part of the new tax law that gives farmer cooperatives an edge over independently owned businesses. The provision, added days before the tax bill was signed in December, was designed to make sure cooperatives benefit from a new deduction for pass-through businesses. After learning of the change, farm businesses peppered their representatives with complaints, prompting senators and federal agencies to consider the unintended consequences of the provision.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 12, 2018 18:11 UTC