A. L. (Butch) Alford, Jr. Lewiston Morning Tribune Lewiston, ID	Alton F. Baker III The Register-Guard Eugene, OR	Chris Bennett The Medium Seattle, WA
Jerry Brady Post Register Idaho Falls, ID	Scott Campbell The Columbian Vancouver, WA	Chuck Cochrane Yakima Herald-Republic Yakima, WA
Wm. Stacey Cowles The Spokesman-Review Spokane, WA	Nancy L. Freeman Kodiak Daily Mirror Kodiak, AK	Deborah Frol Walla Walla UB Walla Walla, WA
Stephen Hartgen The Times-News Twin Falls, ID	Peter Hovitz Eastside Journal Bellevue, WA	David Lord Pioneer Newspapers Seattle, WA
Elizabeth McCool The Bulletin Bend, OR	Ted Natt The Daily News Longview, WA	Thad Poulson Daily Sitka Sentinel Sitka, AK
Ronald Stewart The News-Review Roseburg, OR	Dwight Tracy Herald and News Klamath Falls, OR	Dennis Waller The Chronicle Centralia, WA
Lew Williams, III Ketchikan Daily News Ketchikan, AK	L. Stedem Wood Skagit Valley Herald Mt. Vernon, WA	Rufus Woods The Wenatchee World Wenatchee, WA

cc:

Evonne Agnello Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association	Diana Kramer Washington Newspaper Publishers Association	Virginia Moorehouse The Bakersfield Californian Bakersfield, CA
Rowland Thompson Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington

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.

Washington State Employer Sells to Protect Estate

Frank Russell Co., the world’s largest consultant to institutional investors, and employer of 1,100 Tacoma-area residents, was sold. The threat of the devastating effect of estate taxes was identified as a primary reason for the sale.

At risk to the community are high-paying jobs, community volunteerism, city and state revenue, and a long-time, award-winning, and generous philanthropic tradition.

Repeal is Possible THIS Legislative Session

In a Wall Street Journal article on July 6th, Newt Gingrich said that after the August recess he hopes the House will pass a "very significant tax cut" that would phase out the death tax.

Progress on the bills

The newly introduced Dunn/Tanner bill HR 3879 has 111 sponsors to date. If this bill passes, the best estate planning in the future will include a low-fat diet and exercise. (This bill repeals the death tax over 11 years.) House bill HR 902 has 180 sponsors and S 75 has 30 Senate sponsors. For more details, see the death tax Web site.

New Death Tax Repeal Advertising Campaign

The death tax repeal is a reality this legislative session!

But, what is needed now, more than ever, is public outreach. With this issue of the death tax newsletter, the first in a new series of newspaper advertisements is being introduced.

The key goal of the ads is to drive home the following messages:

(1) Estate tax repeal is a reality THIS congressional session.

(2) Locally owned small businesses have a huge impact on our ?communities and the death tax can be devastating to them.

(3) Estate tax repeal would -

• Create jobs
• Contribute to growing the economy
• Save family-owned businesses
• Save minority and female-owned businesses
• Increase philanthropy

More than 100 newspapers across the nation ran the earlier ads for the repeal campaign in 1997. Those ads can be found on the death tax Web site. The goal this congressional session is to double the space donated to the campaign to repeal the death tax.

You will be receiving camera ready materials to run these ads in your publication. Enclosed is a draft of the first ad for your review. If you have any questions, please call Suzanne Dorris at 206-464-2605.

Jennifer Dunn/John Tanner Op-Ed available

With the help of staff from the Newspaper Association of America,

Jennifer Dunn and John Tanner have submitted an op-ed piece supporting death tax repeal. Enclosed is a copy.

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.