We, the undersigned, demand that Congress permanently repeal the Federal Estate Tax (a.k.a. Death Tax).  We hold that:

The Death Tax destroys Family businesses and farms:

• one-third of all small business owners wind up selling some or all of their businesses due to the Death Tax;
• Family businesses are often sold off in part or whole to pay the tax;
• 70% of family businesses do not survive the second generation and 87% do not survive the third generation.

The Death Tax hurts American workers:

• 240,000 jobs are lost each year due to the Death Tax;
• The tax wastes $28 billion each year in potential capital – the source of new jobs and economic growth – to pay expensive compliance costs.

The Death Tax is unjust:

• It punishes people who savings and investing, but rewards consumption;
• It is double taxation.

The Death Tax handicaps America:

• The U.S. has the 2nd highest Death Tax in the world;
• Only 23 out of 195 other countries have a Death Tax;
• Many of our competitors – such as China and Russian – have no Death Tax.

The Death Tax is fundamentally un-American:

• Thomas Jefferson repealed America’s first Death Tax in 1802;
• Ulysses Grant repealed America’s second Death Tax in 1870;
• The current Death Tax was levied to pay for World War I.  That war ended 90 years ago, but the tax remains.