WHEREAS, under tax relief legislation passed in 2001, the death tax was temporarily phased out but not permanently eliminated; and

WHEREAS, farmers and other small business owners will face losing their farms and businesses if the federal government resumes the heavy taxation of citizens at death; and

WHEREAS, this is a tax that is particularly damaging to families who are working their way up the ladder and trying to accumulate wealth for the first time; and

WHEREAS, employees suffer layoffs when small and medium businesses are liquidated to pay death taxes; and

WHEREAS, if the death tax had been repealed in 1996, the United States economy would have realized billions of dollars each year in extra output and an average of 145,000 additional new jobs would have been created; and

WHEREAS, having repeatedly passed in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, repeal of the death tax holds wide bipartisan support; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that the House of Representatives of the State of Hawaii requests the Congressional delegation of the State of Hawaii to support, work to pass, and vote for the immediate and permanent repeal of the death tax; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to each member of Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

Report Title:

Permanent death tax repeal; support