FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 28, 2011

CONTACT: Sonia Blumstein, 205-620-2087

Sonia@PRoactiveSolutionsInc.net

Groups Call on Governor Kasich to Support Death Tax Repeal

Coalition Letter: “Kill Death Tax, Create Jobs”

Washington, DC – Four groups have called on Ohio Governor John Kasich to support permanent repeal of the state’s estate tax.

In a letter to Governor Kasich, the groups say repeal will leave a “legacy of economic prosperity and…job creation” across Ohio.                                          

The letter, organized by the American Family Business Institute (AFBI), an organization representing family farms and businesses in Ohio and across the country, is also signed by Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform and the National Taxpayers Union.   

“Governor Kasich knows that estate tax repeal is the right public policy for Ohio and has voiced his support for repeal in the past,” said AFBI President Dick Patten. “Now is the time for the Governor to help move repeal to the finish line by requesting that the legislature pass HB 3.”

Estate tax repeal was a central element in Governor Kasich’s 2010 reform-themed campaign.  It was one of his top three agenda items for making Ohio strong again.

HB 3 was passed out of Ohio’s House Ways and Means Committee in March and awaits a vote by the full House of Representatives. Similar legislation, SB 90, was passed out of the Senate Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee.

“The research clearly shows that state estate taxes destroy jobs and drive out the entrepreneurs and business owners who create them,” added Patten.  “Repealing Ohio’s state estate tax will reverse the state’s current economic decline and encourage small business owners to start hiring again.”

A study by the Connecticut Department of Revenue found that states without an estate tax produced twice as many new jobs and their economies grew nearly 50 percent more from 2004-2007 than states with such taxes. 

# # #

 The American Family Business Institute is trade association of family business owners, farmers, and entrepreneurs working for permanent repeal of the Federal Estate Tax and all state estate and inheritance taxes.