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AFBF, NCBA: Estate tax repeal bills send message

The American Farm Bureau and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association say the estate tax repeal bills reintroduced in Congress are meant to send a strong message.

Pat Wolff with Farm Bureau says Congress has never been able to actually repeal the estate tax, “But it makes for an excellent message bill and that means that every member of Congress that co-sponsors it is saying in a loud voice that farmers, ranchers, other businessmen have a problem with estate taxes.”

Wolff says it also sends the message that current exemption levels should not be rolled back.

Danielle Beck with NCBA says they do not expect any floor vote on the repeal bills but they will keep beating the drum for a common sense tax code farmers and ranchers can get behind, “But it also needs to be an equitable one. And, you know, our industry – farmers and ranchers are also small business owners wit h a lot of unique challenges and these provisions are long-standing provisions in the tax code that do a good job of recognizing that.”

Wolff says 120 House members and 26 Senators have agreed to be co-sponsors of the estate tax repeal bills and they are hoping for more.

Brownfield’s Meghan Grebner contributed to this story~