Why is a buyer responsible for rollback taxes when changing zoning from farming to residential?

The buyer is responsible for rollback taxes when changing zoning from farming to residential primarily due to tax law responsibilities. Rollback taxes are designed to recapture tax benefits that a property owner received when the land was valued under a farming classification. When zoning changes from agricultural to residential, the property is no longer eligible for those lower tax rates, and the state or local government may impose a tax on the difference based on the increase in value that results from the new zoning classification.

This mechanism is in place to promote the equitable collection of taxes and ensure that property taxes reflect the current use of the land. Thus, the buyer is held accountable for any taxes that arise from this change because they benefit from the new, higher value as a result of the residential zoning, leading to the obligation of paying the rollback taxes to reconcile the tax assessments.