The Oracle of the Death Tax
Why is Warren Buffett such a big proponent of the death tax? Naked self-interest.

By Grover G. Norquist
November 14, 2007
National Review

Today the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on the death tax entitled, “Federal Estate Tax: Uncertainty in Planning under Current Law.” Well, that title certainly serves to both understate the absurdity of current law and the culpability of Congress for causing that uncertainty.

Some history: Back in 2001, Congress passed the first of what came to be known as the Bush tax cuts. Among other things, this bill “killed the death tax,” albeit slowly, by December 31, 2010. Due to arcane Senate budget rules that would have required 60 votes to waive (then-minority leader Tom Daschle was in no mood to accommodate this), prior law reasserts itself one day later, on New Years Day 2011.

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Hear Whoopi Goldberg exclaim – with great approval from her audience – why the death tax should be repealed. 

Senate Hearings on the Death Tax

Many American Family members and our allies submitted statements for the Senate Finance Committee hearings on the federal estate tax – the Death Tax – held Wednesday, November 14th.

These individual stories will go into the permanent record and are displayed here – alphabetically.

John Ed Anthony, Anthony Timberlands (Arkansas)

John B. Byrd III, President the Association for Manufacturing Technology

Ryan Ellis, Americans for Tax Reform

Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber (Maine)

Victor Mavar, Mavar Shrimp & Oyster Co., Inc. (Mississippi)

Garry McCall, Iowa farmer

Lowell Miles, Miles Fiberglass and Composites, (Oregon)

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AFBI’s Mission in the 110th Congress to Repeal the Death Tax

By Dick Patten, President
American Family Business Institute

Most people concerned about the Federal estate tax -- the Death Tax – know that it is being gradually decreased each year until 2010, when it disappears. Then, in 2011, it is scheduled to spring back to life larger than ever. Last year the Senate came within just three votes of making repeal permanent. But now Democrats hold both houses of Congress and will do their all to preserve the Death Tax.

Considering that fact, is the fight to repeal the Death Tax over? Should just we fold our tents and accept this unjust and witless policy as a fact of life and death? Are we defeated?

To do justice to my answer, I would have to raise the word NO in letters as tall as the Empire State Building or shout it at an ear-splitting volume. Lacking those options, I’ll offer a more temperate response: Not only will we continue to fight, but we will fight with more energy and smarter strategies than ever before. Our mission — and our only mission — at AFBI is repeal of the Death Tax. When we succeed, we will close our doors. I fully intend to see that we put ourselves out of business.

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