http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123172020818472279.html
Democrats Want to Freeze Levy at Current Levels Instead of Letting It Expire Next Year
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
President-elect Barack Obama and congressional leaders plan to move soon to block the estate tax from disappearing in 2010, suggesting the levy might outlive the "Death Tax Repeal" movement that has tried mightily to kill it.The Democratic stance on the estate tax contrasts with Mr. Obama's reluctance to press forward with his campaign pledge to raise income-tax rates on top earners, which he worries could have an adverse economic impact during a recession.
But Democrats are determined to act quickly to prevent the estate tax's scheduled repeal. Elimination of the levy on big inheritances was approved by Congress under President George W. Bush in 2001, with rollbacks phased in slowly and its full elimination slated to take effect next year.
The Senate Finance Committee will move within weeks on legislation to reverse that law, and Mr. Obama is expected to detail his estate-tax preservation proposal in his budget next month, congressional tax writers said.
Under the Obama plan detailed during the campaign, the estate tax would be locked in permanently at the rate and exemption levels that took effect this year. That would exempt estates of $3.5 million -- $7 million for couples -- from any taxation. The value of estates above that would be taxed at 45%. If the tax were returned to Clinton-era levels, it would exclude $1 million from taxation with the rest taxed at 55%.
In making their case for the restoration, Democrats contend that such a large additional tax break for the rich shouldn't go into force halfway through Mr. Obama's proposed economic-recovery package. They argue that the deficit is already in record territory, while their plan wouldn't have any impact on the economy since it would merely keep the estate-tax rate at its current level. Mr. Obama and his party also say that the affluent already have benefited handsomely from the Bush tax cuts.
At the level proposed in the Obama policy, all but the largest estates -- fewer than 2% of annual deaths -- would escape taxation. Over 10 years, the Obama plan would cost the Treasury around $324 billion more than if the Clinton estate-tax levels were maintained, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Full repeal would cost more than $500 billion over a decade.
The estate tax was enacted in the early 20th century as a levy on wealth and inherited assets. It was later amended to allow a spouse to avoid the tax.
Write to Jonathan Weisman at jonathan.weisman@wsj.com
