Charities harden opposition to an estate-tax repeal

A paper by David Joulfaian, a Treasury Department tax analyst, finds that giving by the wealthy would fall about 12 percent. The Independent Sector, which serves nonprofit groups, sees a drop in charitable bequests of at least $1.5 billion to $5 billion.

Though less than 2 percent of estates are big enough to actually owe estate taxes, the number would increase if many of the prosperous didn't set aside money for hundreds of charities.

A third element of the issue is social. Some AFET groups, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, figure abolition of the estate tax would weaken further the modest inter-generational restraint on the buildup of a plutocracy in the United States.

One goal in founding the US, in addition to escaping British taxes entirely, was to avoid the establishment of a wealthy aristocracy such as that prevailing in Europe at the time of the American revolution, Bass says.

This year, any amount can be left to spouses tax-free and as much as $1 million to offspring or others without being taxed. The top tax rate was reduced from 55 to 50 percent.

In 2009, under the Bush tax cut, the exemption will be raised to $3.5 million and in 2007, the top tax rate will fall to 45 percent. After its abolition, the estate tax is scheduled to return to a $1 million exemption and a 55 percent top rate in 2011.

The AFET claims some credit for blocking legislation sponsored by Sen. Phil Gramm (R) of Texas in an earlier effort to make the estate-tax repeal permanent. His bill got 54 votes in a June vote, not filibuster-proof.

The Texas Republican held that the "death" tax would "rise out of the grave in 2011 and start destroying family businesses, family farms, and family dreams." Repeal has the support of many business organizations, farm groups, and nonchain newspaper publishers.

But to Bass, those concerns are "foolishness." Far fewer than 1 percent of family farmers face a tax on their estates. It is "not a significant issue" for small business.

Nonetheless, the estate tax has become "an iconic issue" for conservatives, Bass says. They intensely dislike the tax. So he suggests reform rather than repeal, letting the exemption amount rise above $1 million, maybe to $3 million, and thus clearly exempt small business and farms.

Next year's Republican Senate leadership could reduce the votes needed in the Senate to pass a bill making the tax cuts permanent to a simple majority by using a complex "reconciliation" budget procedure. But the process would take at least six months. The measure must also include a "pay-as-you-go" requirement so that any revenues lost from the repeal would be offset by tax increases or spending cuts. That would not be easy.

"This is big potatoes," says Bass.

Page: 1 | 2