November, 16 2010, 11:15am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Susan Roth, 301-530-3539, prsue@rothpr.com
Anne Singer, 202-271-4679, anne@annesingercommunications.
Small Business Owners Say 'Yes' to Estate Tax - Tell Opponents 'You Don't Speak For Us'
They Join United for a Fair Economy in Asking Congress and White House for Permanent Restoration of a Robust Tax on Inheritance
BOSTON
A group of small business owners and entrepreneurs today spoke out
in support of the estate tax, insisting that opponents of the tax have
misrepresented the interests of small businesses for their own agenda.
Coming from four different industries in four different states, these
business owners explained their support for a federal tax on inherited
wealth during a
conference call organized by United for a Fair Economy
(UFE) this morning. Each of the speakers has also signed UFE's "Call to
Preserve the Estate Tax." Amid reports of possible compromise on the
expiring Bush tax cuts, the fate of the federal estate tax remains
unclear as Congress decides this week on a tax package that will go to a
floor vote next month.
"I don't know any small business owners who are worried about
paying the estate tax," said Dave Eiffert, a signatory to United for a
Fair Economy's Call To Preserve the Estate Tax who co-founded the
Snoqualmie Falls Brewery outside of Seattle with a group of business
partners in 1997. "Opposition to the estate tax is largely pushed by
families who have enormous estates. They pay huge sums to spread
misinformation and use small business people as their poster children.
In my view, repealing or cutting the estate tax is just another
billionaire bailout that will line the pockets of the heirs and
heiresses of multi-millionaires and billionaires." The brewery employs
20 people and has annual sales of $1.2 million. "Like almost all small
business owners, I do not expect to owe the estate tax. Next time you
hear someone say small business owners oppose this tax, don't believe
them."
paying the estate tax," said Dave Eiffert, a signatory to United for a
Fair Economy's Call To Preserve the Estate Tax who co-founded the
Snoqualmie Falls Brewery outside of Seattle with a group of business
partners in 1997. "Opposition to the estate tax is largely pushed by
families who have enormous estates. They pay huge sums to spread
misinformation and use small business people as their poster children.
In my view, repealing or cutting the estate tax is just another
billionaire bailout that will line the pockets of the heirs and
heiresses of multi-millionaires and billionaires." The brewery employs
20 people and has annual sales of $1.2 million. "Like almost all small
business owners, I do not expect to owe the estate tax. Next time you
hear someone say small business owners oppose this tax, don't believe
them."
Of the 5,500 estates expected to pay any tax under the 2009 rules,
only about 100, or 1.8%, of those estates will have a majority of their
assets in a small business or farm, and of those 100, the vast majority
have sufficient cash to pay the tax.
only about 100, or 1.8%, of those estates will have a majority of their
assets in a small business or farm, and of those 100, the vast majority
have sufficient cash to pay the tax.
Jean Gordon co-owns Frostyaire of Arkansas, an agricultural
freezing and cold storage company bought by her parents in 1950 in
Little Rock. Gordon spoke out in favor of the estate tax, saying "At
Frostyaire, our decisions about hiring employees, purchasing equipment,
and expanding the business are not based on tax policy but on the
number of customers and the amount of product they have to store with
us. The best way to help small businesses like ours is to put more
money in the hands of the middle class who will spend the money as
customers of our businesses, rather than cutting the estate tax to
ensure that very wealthy heirs can have a larger inheritance. If
Frostyaire becomes more profitable, I would be happy to pay the tax as
my family's contribution for being part of the American economy."
Frostyaire has 45 employees and two freezer warehouses. Gordon, who has
also signed UFE's Call to Preserve the Estate Tax, expects she will
owe no estate tax under 2009 rules.
freezing and cold storage company bought by her parents in 1950 in
Little Rock. Gordon spoke out in favor of the estate tax, saying "At
Frostyaire, our decisions about hiring employees, purchasing equipment,
and expanding the business are not based on tax policy but on the
number of customers and the amount of product they have to store with
us. The best way to help small businesses like ours is to put more
money in the hands of the middle class who will spend the money as
customers of our businesses, rather than cutting the estate tax to
ensure that very wealthy heirs can have a larger inheritance. If
Frostyaire becomes more profitable, I would be happy to pay the tax as
my family's contribution for being part of the American economy."
Frostyaire has 45 employees and two freezer warehouses. Gordon, who has
also signed UFE's Call to Preserve the Estate Tax, expects she will
owe no estate tax under 2009 rules.
John Russell, a real estate developer from Portland, OR, said, "I
am one of the tiny fraction of small business owners who will owe the
estate tax, and that's fine with me. My success would not have been
possible without investments by the federal government, along with the
city and state, in redeveloping downtown Portland - particularly the
investments in light rail and streetcar systems. Federal tax incentives
like accelerated depreciation and selling tax credits to investors
helped me attract investment and lower our cost of doing business. I
see the estate tax as a way to pay some of those public investments and
tax incentives back to society - to help make success possible for the
next generation." His company, Russell Development, owns and operates
six office buildings and provides employment for about 50 people.
Russell has signed UFE's Call to Preserve the Estate Tax.
am one of the tiny fraction of small business owners who will owe the
estate tax, and that's fine with me. My success would not have been
possible without investments by the federal government, along with the
city and state, in redeveloping downtown Portland - particularly the
investments in light rail and streetcar systems. Federal tax incentives
like accelerated depreciation and selling tax credits to investors
helped me attract investment and lower our cost of doing business. I
see the estate tax as a way to pay some of those public investments and
tax incentives back to society - to help make success possible for the
next generation." His company, Russell Development, owns and operates
six office buildings and provides employment for about 50 people.
Russell has signed UFE's Call to Preserve the Estate Tax.
Russell added, "Small businesses do not pay the estate tax. Let's
be clear: the estate tax is not a small business or farm issue that has
bubbled up from the grassroots. This is an orchestrated effort funded by
some of the richest families in the country who want to get out of
paying their fair share. These wealthy individuals have used small
businesses and farms as the all-American icons to promote and front
their cause, but the facts just aren't there to back that up."
be clear: the estate tax is not a small business or farm issue that has
bubbled up from the grassroots. This is an orchestrated effort funded by
some of the richest families in the country who want to get out of
paying their fair share. These wealthy individuals have used small
businesses and farms as the all-American icons to promote and front
their cause, but the facts just aren't there to back that up."
"I'm one of the 0.25% of the population who will owe the estate
tax," said Jerry Fiddler, whose high-tech business, Wind River Systems,
employed 2,000 people at its peak, before being bought by Intel for $850
million in 2009. Fiddler, a signatory to UFE's Call to Preserve the
Estate Tax, is now a venture capitalist specializing in green technology
starts ups. "Most small businesses don't come anywhere near the $3.5
million exemption. The traditional mom and pop businesses - the grocery
store, the dry cleaner, the bakery, my dad's fabric shop - just don't
have that kind of value. And most businesses, once they're beyond a
certain size, diversify their assets so paying some estate tax does not
threaten the business. The idea that we should throw out the whole
estate tax, or raise the exemption even higher than three and a half
million, on the basis of a few edge cases, is offensive, and not the way
we should make tax policy. As a small business owner and creator, I do
not want the estate tax thrown out in my name."
tax," said Jerry Fiddler, whose high-tech business, Wind River Systems,
employed 2,000 people at its peak, before being bought by Intel for $850
million in 2009. Fiddler, a signatory to UFE's Call to Preserve the
Estate Tax, is now a venture capitalist specializing in green technology
starts ups. "Most small businesses don't come anywhere near the $3.5
million exemption. The traditional mom and pop businesses - the grocery
store, the dry cleaner, the bakery, my dad's fabric shop - just don't
have that kind of value. And most businesses, once they're beyond a
certain size, diversify their assets so paying some estate tax does not
threaten the business. The idea that we should throw out the whole
estate tax, or raise the exemption even higher than three and a half
million, on the basis of a few edge cases, is offensive, and not the way
we should make tax policy. As a small business owner and creator, I do
not want the estate tax thrown out in my name."
Given the 2009 exemption of $3.5 million per spouse, the estate tax
is paid by the wealthiest 0.25% of the population. Lee Farris, UFE's
Estate Tax Policy Coordinator noted, "Small businesses are largely
protected from the estate tax already. Multiple business-friendly
special provisions in the law mean most small businesses and farms do
not have to pay the tax. Those provisions allowed any given small
business or farm estate to pass on up to $9 million untaxed in 2009.
That's why, out of 2.4 million deaths in 2009, only about a dozen were
small business or farm estates with a lack of cash to pay the estate
tax." Farris added, "It makes no sense to set tax policy for our entire
country based on the exception rather than the rule. It's irresponsible
to shift costs onto millions of Americans by giving massive tax breaks
to thousands of wealthy heirs. That's why UFE is mobilizing our members
this week to call Congress."
is paid by the wealthiest 0.25% of the population. Lee Farris, UFE's
Estate Tax Policy Coordinator noted, "Small businesses are largely
protected from the estate tax already. Multiple business-friendly
special provisions in the law mean most small businesses and farms do
not have to pay the tax. Those provisions allowed any given small
business or farm estate to pass on up to $9 million untaxed in 2009.
That's why, out of 2.4 million deaths in 2009, only about a dozen were
small business or farm estates with a lack of cash to pay the estate
tax." Farris added, "It makes no sense to set tax policy for our entire
country based on the exception rather than the rule. It's irresponsible
to shift costs onto millions of Americans by giving massive tax breaks
to thousands of wealthy heirs. That's why UFE is mobilizing our members
this week to call Congress."
UFE as an organization supports the Harkin-Sanders-Whitehouse
Responsible Estate Tax Act, which includes a $3.5 million exemption per
spouse and a graduated rate going from 45% up to 65% on estates over
$500 million ($1 billion for couples). UFE opposes the Lincoln-Kyl
proposal with its $5 million per spouse exemption, which would cost $130
billion more over 10 years than even an extension of 2009 rates. UFE
also opposes the Feinstein proposal for an unlimited farm exemption,
which would create a loophole allowing wealthy individuals to shelter
their wealth by buying farms; this would drive up the price of farmland
and hurt small farmers in the end.
Responsible Estate Tax Act, which includes a $3.5 million exemption per
spouse and a graduated rate going from 45% up to 65% on estates over
$500 million ($1 billion for couples). UFE opposes the Lincoln-Kyl
proposal with its $5 million per spouse exemption, which would cost $130
billion more over 10 years than even an extension of 2009 rates. UFE
also opposes the Feinstein proposal for an unlimited farm exemption,
which would create a loophole allowing wealthy individuals to shelter
their wealth by buying farms; this would drive up the price of farmland
and hurt small farmers in the end.
Some 6,000 Americans have signed UFE's Call to Preserve the Estate
Tax; 2,000 signers expect to owe the estate tax themselves or come from
families that have already paid the tax. Among the signers are also more
than 600 owners of small businesses and farms, including all four small
business people on today's call.
Tax; 2,000 signers expect to owe the estate tax themselves or come from
families that have already paid the tax. Among the signers are also more
than 600 owners of small businesses and farms, including all four small
business people on today's call.
United for a Fair Economy challenges the concentration of wealth and power that corrupts democracy, deepens the racial divide and tears communities apart. We use popular economics education, trainings, and creative communications to support social movements working for a resilient, sustainable and equitable economy. United for a Fair Economy believes another world is possible. We envision a global society which respects the humanity, rights, and creativity of all people.
LATEST NEWS
Watchdog Urges FEC to Investigate Trump Campaign Over Scheme for Legal Fees
"By not disclosing the vendors that actually provided legal services, the Trump-affiliated committees effectively blocked the public from knowing which attorneys and firms are being paid—and how much."
Apr 24, 2024
A campaign finance watchdog on Wednesday filed a Federal Election Commission complaint accusing former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, affiliated political groups, and an accounting firm of violating U.S. law in a scheme "seemingly designed to obscure the true recipients of a noteworthy portion of Trump's legal bills."
The Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center (CLC) said that "evidence appears to show an illegal arrangement between several Trump-affiliated committees and a compliance firm named Red Curve Solutions that is designed to obscure the identities of those providing legal services and how much they are being paid."
"Voters have a right to know how the presidential campaigns and other committees supporting presidential candidates spend their money."
CLC alleges that the Trump campaign, Trump's political action committee (PAC) Save America, and three affiliated organizations "violated federal reporting requirements based on a scheme in which the committees reportedly paid over $7.2 million—described as 'reimbursement for legal' costs or expenses"—to Red Curve.
The watchdog also said that Red Curve appears to be "making or facilitating illegal contributions that violate either federal contribution limits or the prohibition on corporate contributions."
According to CLC:
Red Curve is a domestic limited liability company that offers compliance and FEC reporting services but does not appear to offer any legal services. It is managed by Bradley Crate, who also serves as the treasurer for each of the five Trump-affiliated committees concerned in this complaint, as well as over 200 other federal committees.
According to filings with the FEC, Red Curve appears to have been fronting legal costs for Trump since at least December 2022, with Trump-affiliated committees repaying the company later. This arrangement appears to violate FEC rules that require campaigns to disclose not only the entity being reimbursed (here, Red Curve) but also the underlying vendor. By not disclosing the vendors that actually provided legal services, the Trump-affiliated committees effectively blocked the public from knowing which attorneys and firms are being paid—and how much they are being paid—through this arrangement.
"Voters have a right to know how the presidential campaigns and other committees supporting presidential candidates spend their money," CLC senior director of campaign finance Erin Chlopak said in a statement. "When campaigns and committees obscure that information from the public, not only do they make it difficult to determine if the law has been violated, but they deny voters the ability to make an informed choice when casting a ballot."
"The steps taken by the Trump campaign, its affiliated committees, and Red Curve Solutions concealed information about how campaign funds were used to pay former President Trump's legal expenditures, including the amounts and ultimate recipients of these expenditures—and the FEC must investigate immediately," Chlopak added.
Trump—who is the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee—faces 91 federal and state felony charges related to his role in the January 6 insurrection and his organization's business practices. He is currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments to cover up sex scandals during the 2016 election cycle. The twice-impeached former president has been open about his use of campaign donations to pay his legal costs.
The new CLC filing comes a day after the watchdog filed separate FEC complaints urging investigations into a pair of Trump-affiliated "scam PACs," which "pretend to fundraise for major candidates or issues while secretly diverting almost all of their donors' money back into fundraising or the fraudsters' own pockets."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'One Step Closer': Arizona House Votes to Repeal 1864 Abortion Ban
"With a total ban still set to take effect June 8, the Arizona Abortion Access Act is needed now more than ever," one state campaigner said of a November ballot measure.
Apr 24, 2024
Three Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives on Wednesday joined with Democrats to advance legislation that would repeal an 1864 ban on abortion—a development rights advocates welcomed while stressing that the fight is far from over.
The 32-28 vote on House Bill 2677—with GOP Reps. Tim Dunn (25), Matt Gress (4), and Justin Wilmeth (2) voting in favor—was the third attempt in as many weeks to pass repeal legislation since the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the ban.
"The state Senate could vote on the repeal as early as next Wednesday, after the bill comes on the floor for a 'third reading,' as is required under chamber rules," according toNBC News. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Wednesday toldThe Washington Post that "I am hopeful the Senate does the right thing and sends it to my desk so I can sign it."
Applauding the House passage of H.B. 2677, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona president and CEO Angela Florez said that "today, Arizona is one step closer to repealing the state's Civil War-era total abortion ban. While the repeal still must pass the Senate, this is a major win for reproductive freedom."
"We must celebrate today's vote in support of abortion rights and harness our enthusiasm to spread the word and urge lawmakers in the Senate to support this necessary repeal bill," she continued. "Despite this step forward, Arizonans cannot stop fighting."
Florez noted that "even with the repeal of the Civil War-era ban, the state will still have a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy that denies people access to critical care. And lawmakers continue to attack Arizonans' ability to access reproductive healthcare. Our right to control our bodies and lives is hanging on by a thread."
"Thankfully, voters will have the opportunity to take back control if the Arizona Abortion Access Act is on the ballot this November," she added. "Abortion bans are out-of-step with the will of Arizonans and will force pregnant people to leave their communities for essential healthcare. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona will continue fighting to ensure everyone has the right to make decisions about their health and futures."
The Arizona Abortion Access Act is a proposed state constitutional amendment that would prevent many limits on abortions before fetal viability and safeguard access to care after viability to protect the life or physical or mental health of the patient.
The coalition supporting the amendment, Arizona for Abortion Access, highlighted on social media that the House-approved bill "did not include the emergency clause required to stop the 1864 ban from taking effect on June 8," meaning H.B. 2677 wouldn't apply until 90 days after the end of the legislative session.
Coalition campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said that "with a total ban still set to take effect June 8, the Arizona Abortion Access Act is needed now more than ever. We remain committed to taking these decisions out of the hands of extremist politicians."
Arizona is one of multiple states where rights advocates are promoting abortion rights ballot measures this cycle. Reproductive freedom is also dominating political races at all levels, including the presidential contest. Democratic President Joe Biden is set to face former Republican President Donald Trump in November.
"Donald Trump is responsible for Arizona's abortion ban. Women in the state are still living under a ban with no exceptions for rape or incest and have been stripped of the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions," said Julie Chávez Rodriguez, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' reelection campaign manager.
While the presumptive GOP nominee has tried to distance himself from the Arizona Supreme Court's reinstatement of a 160-year-old abortion ban, he has also campaigned on his three appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped reverse Roe v. Wade.
"Trump brags that he is 'proudly' the person responsible for these bans and if he retakes power, the chaos and cruelty he has created will only get worse in all 50 states," Chávez Rodriguez said. "President Biden and Vice President Harris are the only candidates who will stop him."
Keep ReadingShow Less
US Dodges Growing Calls for Probe of Mass Graves at Gaza Hospitals
"Somehow I don't think the U.S. State Department would defer to Russia as a credible source to investigate itself if a mass grave were discovered in Ukrainian territory it had occupied," said one legal expert.
Apr 24, 2024
While continuing to give Israel billions of dollars in support to wage war on the Gaza Strip, the Biden administration this week has declined to join the growing global demands for an international probe into mass graves discovered at hospitals in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Two journalists on Tuesday questioned Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, about the administration's response to the hundreds of bodies found at Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as well as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk's call for an independent investigation.
"Would you support such an independent investigation?" Said Arikat asked during a press briefing. Patel responded, "Right now, Said, we are asking for more information... That is squarely where we are leaving the conversation."
Patel added that "I don't have any details to match, confirm, or offer as it relates to that. We're aware of those reports, and we have asked the government of Israel for additional clarity and information. And that's where I'm at."
When Said asked a follow-up about potential U.S. support for a probe, Patel reiterated that the administration is awaiting information from the Israeli government.
Later, Niall Stanage asked Patel to explain U.S. "resistance" to supporting a probe, the spokesperson insisted that "it's not about resistance to this particular situation, it is me not wanting to speak in detail about something which Said posed as a hypothetical question when, from the United States' perspective, I don't have any additional information on this aside from the public reporting."
After Patel again stressed that the administration has asked Israel for more information, Stanage inquired, "And do you believe the government of Israel is a credible source in enlightening you?"
The spokesperson interrupted Stanage to say, "We do."
While supporting the six-month Israeli assault on Gaza that the International Court of Justice has found to be plausibly genocidal, the Biden administration is also arming Ukrainians' resistance to a Russian invasion. Brian Finucane, a senior adviser for the Crisis Group's U.S. program and a former legal adviser at the State Department, pointed to the latter.
"Somehow I don't think the U.S. State Department would defer to Russia as a credible source to investigate itself if a mass grave were discovered in Ukrainian territory it had occupied," Finucane said on social media in response to Stanage's questioning.
Meanwhile, European Union spokesperson Peter Stano made clear Tuesday that the E.U. supports an independent probe.
"This is something that forces us to call for an independent investigation of all the suspicions and all the circumstances, because indeed it creates the impression that there might have been violations of international human rights committed," Stano said. "That's why it's important to have independent investigation and to ensure accountability."
Human rights groups around the world joined the call for an independent investigation on Wednesday, as the official death toll in Gaza hit 34,262 with 77,229 people injured and thousands more missing and presumed dead beneath the rubble.
In an Arabic statement translated by Al Jazeera, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that the number of bodies found in the mass graves is "alarming, and requires urgent international action, including the formation of an independent international investigation committee."
The group added that some of those killed were subjected to "premeditated murder as well as arbitrary and extrajudicial executions while they were detained and handcuffed."
Amnesty International senior director of research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns Erika Guevara Rosas said in a statement that "the harrowing discovery of these mass graves underscores the urgency of ensuring immediate access for human rights investigators, including forensic experts, to the occupied Gaza Strip to ensure that evidence is preserved and to carry out independent and transparent investigations with the aim of guaranteeing accountability for any violations of international law."
"Lack of access for human rights investigators to Gaza has hampered effective investigations into the full scale of the human rights violations and crimes under international law committed over the past six months, allowing for the documentation of just a tiny fraction of these abuses," she noted. "Without proper investigations to determine how these deaths took place or what violations may have been committed, we may never find out the truth of the horrors behind these mass graves."
Guevara Rosas continued:
Mass grave sites are potential crime scenes offering vital and time-sensitive forensic evidence; they must be protected until professional forensic experts with the necessary skills and resources can safely carry out adequate exhumations and accurate identification of remains.
The absence of forensic experts and the decimation of Gaza's medical sector as a result of the war and Israel's cruel blockade, along with the lack of availability of the necessary resources for the identification of bodies such as DNA testing, are huge obstacles to the identifications of remains. This denies those killed the opportunity to have a dignified burial and deprives families with relatives missing or forcibly disappeared the right to know and to justice—leaving them in a limbo of uncertainty and anguish.
Noting that the International Court of Justice directed Israel to preserve evidence in its initial genocide case order, Guevara Rosas said that "amid a total vacuum of accountability and mounting evidence of war crimes in Gaza, Israeli authorities must ensure they comply with the ICJ ruling by granting immediate access to independent human rights investigators and ensuring that all evidence of violations is preserved."
"Third states must pressure Israel to comply with the ICJ orders by allowing the immediate entry into the Gaza Strip of independent human rights investigators and forensic experts, including the U.N.-appointed Commission of Inquiry and investigators of the International Criminal Court," she added. "There can be no truth and justice without proper, transparent independent investigations into these deaths."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular