WASHINGTON - Congressman Adam H. Putnam (FL-12) today voted in support of permanent repeal of the death tax.

“Since coming to Congress in 2001, I have voted to eliminate the unfair death tax and to make it permanent numerous times, so that family farms can continue to exist and businesses can be passed down to children and grandchildren,” said Putnam. “As a co-sponsor of this legislation, I am proud to have voted again to make this law permanent once and for all.”

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 8, the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005, by a bi-partisan vote of 272 to 162. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.

“I am from a farm family in a rapidly growing part of the State of Florida. I have seen what the death tax does to destroy families and pieces of property that have been in the same family's hands for generations, that have cared for that land and have been a steward of that land, and the environmental benefits that come from that,” said Putnam.

The death tax will come back into effect if legislation to the contrary is not passed.  H.R. 8, the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005, will remove the expiration or “sunset” provision of the death tax repeal from the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, which provided $1.35 trillion in tax relief for America’s workers.

“If there was ever an opportunity to make permanent repeal of a tax that kills family farms and businesses, it is now,” Putnam stated. “Under current laws, it is cheaper for someone to sell a business before dying and pay the capital gains tax than to pass it on to his children.  This is a grave injustice that will finally be corrected.”

In 2002, the House voted twice to make death tax relief permanent, but the Democrat-controlled Senate failed to pass the plan and opted instead to keep in place only a temporary repeal of the death tax.    

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