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Death Tax Newsletter
• Issue #11 • June 30, 2000
To: Pacific
Northwest Family Owned Daily Newspapers
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Evonne
Agnello
Pacific
Northwest Newspaper
Association
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A.
L. (Butch) Alford, Jr.
Lewiston
Morning Tribune
Lewiston, ID
|
Alton
F. Baker III
The
Register-Guard
Eugene, OR
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Chris
Bennett
The
Medium
Seattle, WA
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Debbie
Berto
Issaquah
Press
Issaquah,
WA
|
Rob
Bickler
Yakima
Herald-Republic
Yakima, WA
|
Jerry
Brady
Post
Register
Idaho Falls, ID |
Scott
Campbell
The
Columbian
Vancouver, WA |
Betsy
Cowles
Cowles Publishing Co.
Spokane, WA |
Wm.
Stacey Cowles
The
Spokesman-Review
Spokane, WA |
Randy
Frisch
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City, UT |
Stephen
Hartgen
The
Times-News
Twin Falls, ID
|
Peter
Hovitz
Eastside
Journal
Bellevue, WA
|
Bill
Howard
Howard Publications
Seattle, WA |
Don
Kramer
Kramer Publications
Casa Grande, AZ
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David
Lord
Pioneer
Newspapers
Seattle, WA
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Brown
Maloney
The Sequim Gazette
Sequim, WA |
Elizabeth
McCool
The
Bulletin
Bend, OR
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Thad
Poulson
Daily
Sitka Sentinel
Sitka, AK
|
Mike
Sexton
Anchorage
Daily News
Anchorage, AK |
Ronald
Stewart
The
News-Review
Roseburg, OR |
Stewar
Rowland Thompson
Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington |
Dwight
Tracy
Herald
and News
Klamath Falls, OR |
Dennis
Waller
The
Chronicle
Centralia, WA |
Lew
Williams, III
Ketchikan
Daily News
Ketchikan, AK |
Sam
Wolgemuth
Freedom
Communications, Inc.
Irvine, CA |
L.
Stedem Wood
Skagit
Valley Herald
Mt. Vernon, WA |
Rufus
Woods
The
Wenatchee World
Wenatchee, WA |
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cc:
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Alejandro
Aguirre
Diario Las Americas
Miami,
FL
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Chris
Anderson
Orange County Register
Santa Ana, CA |
Bill
Block, Jr.
Blade Communications
Toledo, OH |
Paul
Boyle
Newspaper Association
of America |
Chuck
Cochrane
Yakima
Herald-Republic
Yakima, WA |
Edwin
Heminger
The Courier
Findlay, OH |
Diana
Kramer
Washington
Newspaper
Publishers Association |
Dorthy
Leavell
Chicago Crusader
Chicago, IL |
Virginia
Moorehouse
The
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield, CA |
Max
Paxton
The News-Gazette
Lexington, VA |
Russ
& Myrta Pulliam
Indianapolis Newspapers, Inc. Indianapolis, IN |
Alexis
Scott
Atlanta
Daily World
Atlanta, GA |
Louis
(Chip) Weil
Central Newspapers, Inc.
Phoenix, AZ |
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Death Tax
Newsletter
This bi-monthly newsletter is produced by The Seattle Times for
family-owned newspapers. Please share it with other family businesses
in other industries. Any suggestions for distribution or content
will be greatly appreciated. Contact Jill Mackie, Director of
External Affairs, at 206-464-2028.
ACTION
NEEDED NOW
IMMEDIATE ACTION IMPERATIVE!!! Š URGE SENATORS TO SUPPORT DEATH
TAX REPEAL
The huge House vote, coupled with polls that show more than 80%
of the American public feel the death tax is unfair and should
be repealed, has caused the Senate to agree to take the issue
up now Š the week of July 10. It is critical that Senators hear
from you now! Please call your Senators Š supporters and detractors
alike Š and urge them to support H.R.8 (full repeal) when it is
brought to the floor.
FULL REPEAL (H.R.8)
DonÕt let the defenders of this ineffective and destructive tax
beguile you with half measures that donÕt solve the problem. Full
repeal is the only workable answer. Some Democrats might be proposing
so-called "carve out" language or suggest raising the exemption
limit. Be adamant. Having repeal pass the Senate would be historic
and provides a legitimate chance for repeal to begin immediately
this year.
KEY MESSAGES
- Ineffective
tax
Less than 1% of federal budget
- Kills
jobs and local communities
- Kills
family businesses, minority businesses and female-owned businesses
- Kills
union jobs
- The death
tax does not redistribute wealth
- The death
tax has widened the wealth gap by killing jobs, investment and
minority business.
THE "ONLY
2%" ARGUMENT
The opponents of repeal like to falsely claim that this is a tax
break for the wealthiest Americans because only 2% of estates are
affected. This so-called 2% is only the tip of the iceberg and doesnÕt
include all the businesses that sell out or liquidate to avoid the
death tax. The 2% estimate also doesnÕt consider the many thousands
of jobs Š many of which are union jobs Š that are displaced when
family business owners are forced to sell because of the death tax.
OTHER KEY NEWS
DEATH TAX REPEAL PASSED IN HOUSE BY SURPRISING MARGIN
In a historic move that few thought possible this year, the House
voted overwhelmingly to repeal the death tax. H.R.8 was passed by
the House June 9 by 67% on a 279-136 vote, with 65 Democrats voting
in favor. The bill eliminates the death tax through rate reduction
over a 10-year period. Once the tax is completely eliminated, the
bill eliminates the stepped-up basis for capital gains, a trade-off
many Democrats see as critical to their support. H.R.8, co-sponsored
by Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) and John Tanner (D-TN) had 244 co-sponsors,
of which 44 were Democrats (including Washington Democrats Brian
Baird and Adam Smith).
MURRAY SIGNS ON TO DEATH TAX REPEAL LEGISLATION
In a major display of political common sense and bravery, Washington
Senator Patty Murray (D) recently became a co-sponsor of S.1128,
the Kyl-Kerrey bill. She needs to hear from all of you. We all need
to thank Patty and let her know how much we appreciate her leadership.
We also need to keep urging her to stay the course on full repeal
Š not the ineffective compromises that are anticipated from Democratic
leadership and the White House.
WYDEN STEPS UP TO LEADERSHIP
In another major display of common sense and in this case Š leadership
Š Oregon Senator Ron Wyden (D) has stepped up to the death tax repeal
leadership void created when Senator Kerrey (D-NE) said he would
not run for re-election. We all need to call Wyden and thank him,
and again, insist he stay the course for full repeal.
MORE INFO
See www.deathtax.com or call Jill Mackie at The Seattle Times or
Paul Boyle at NAA.
Web site - www.deathtax.com
Did You Know?
The death tax brings in less than 1.1 percent of total federal revenues.
And, it is estimated it costs the government 65 cents of every dollar raised for enforcement and compliance.
The death tax is a jobs issue.
Repeal of the tax would result in 145,000 new jobs over the first 9 years of repeal.
And that doesn’t include the countless jobs that would be saved if the death tax didn’t force 70% of family and small businesses to liquidate or sell out after only one generation.
99% of all private businesses have fewer than 500 employees. This represents 50% of all private sector jobs which generate 50% of all revenue.
77% of the American voters polled by the 60 Plus Association indicated that they would be "more likely" to vote for their member of Congress if he or she voted to eliminate the death tax. |
