Congress Purposely Dragging its Feet on Death Tax

Curtis Dubay / June 04, 2010

Recent developments in Congress now make clear that Congressional leadership is willing to go through all of 2010 without a death tax in order to get what they have wanted all along – a death tax with a rate and exemption amount at their levels prior to the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

According to an article in today’s Tax Notes (subscription required):

Senate Finance Committee ranking minority member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, blamed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on June 2 for the uncertainty about the future of the estate tax…Grassley said in a conference call with reporters that “Reid will not really give a clear direction” about his position on the estate tax… “The Finance Committee would like to take up consideration of [Kyl’s] legislation, but we aren’t assured by the majority leader that the bill passed out of committee would be taken up on the floor,” Grassley said.

Such delaying tactics are no accident and are likely part of a larger strategy by Congressional leadership to put off any action on the death tax this year. (more…)