Cattle raisers urge Congress to pass estate tax reform
The Cherokeean
Nov 4, 2009
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) sent letters to members of Congress this week urging them to pass H.R. 3905, the Estate Tax Relief Act of 2009. This legislation would provide relief in the tax code from the estate tax, also known as the "death tax", for Texas ranchers, property owners and small business owners. Over a 10-year period, H.R. 3905 would increase the estate tax exemption to $5 million while decreasing the tax rate from 55 percent to 35 percent.
TSCRA Legislative and Tax Committee Chairman Arthur Uhl, a rancher and attorney from San Antonio, Texas, testified in Washington, D.C., today before the House Committee on Small Business on behalf of the legislation. Uhl also chairs the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's (NCBA) Tax and Credit Policy Committee.
"Tax policy is a key factor impacting American cattle producers, particularly in today's difficult business climate. In an industry where financial returns are historically small, we depend upon the ability to pass on a farm or ranch to the next generation without exhausting resources for arduous planning, or being forced to break apart economically viable operations," Uhl said.
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The death tax has killed many family owned businesses, especially in agriculture. Farming and ranching are very capital intense which makes them an unfair target of the death tax. In order to keep farming and ranching families on the land, it needs to be changed. We have been dealing with issue for too many years but we need to keep working on it. Please contact your Senators and Representative and let them know how badly the estate tax needs to be reformed.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query death tax. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query death tax. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Why The Death Tax Needs To Die
Bill would ax estate tax for agriculture
Business-involvement stipulation for heir raises some concerns
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
Farmers and ranchers are supporting a bill in Congress that would exempt certain land from the federal estate tax as long as the property is kept in agriculture.
The bill by U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and John Salazar, D-Colo., would deduct from the estate tax the value of farmland in cases where the heir had been involved in the farm operation for five of the past eight years.
The idea pleases ranchers such as California cattle producer Kevin Kester, whose family had to pay $2 million over 10 years to the Internal Revenue Service after his grandfather died in 1993.
"We struggled, and the net result over 10 years was we were not able to invest and reinvest in the ranch or have the employees that we should have," said Kester, who runs cows and grows winegrapes on 22,000 acres near Paso Robles.
Currently, under a tax-relief bill signed by then-President George W. Bush, estates valued at more than $3.5 million, or $7 million for a couple, are taxed at a 45 percent rate. If Congress doesn't act, the rate is set to revert in 2011 to 55 percent on estates worth $1 million or more.
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There is nothing good that comes out of the death tax. It destroys family owned businesses and the jobs they provided. It hits farming and ranching families especially hard. Agriculture is a very capital intensive business which can be valued quite high because of the land involved, yet comes no where close to generating the income required to pay the taxes. In those instances, families are forced to sell part of their farm just to pay the taxes. This type of tax costs our society more than it generates. Do your part and contact your Congressional delegation. Follow the links below to send a message.
If you live in California, use this link:http://bit.ly/1Xj8p
If you live outside of California use this link:http://www.capwiz.com/cfbf/issues/alert/?alertid=14009876&type=cu
Business-involvement stipulation for heir raises some concerns
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
Farmers and ranchers are supporting a bill in Congress that would exempt certain land from the federal estate tax as long as the property is kept in agriculture.
The bill by U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and John Salazar, D-Colo., would deduct from the estate tax the value of farmland in cases where the heir had been involved in the farm operation for five of the past eight years.
The idea pleases ranchers such as California cattle producer Kevin Kester, whose family had to pay $2 million over 10 years to the Internal Revenue Service after his grandfather died in 1993.
"We struggled, and the net result over 10 years was we were not able to invest and reinvest in the ranch or have the employees that we should have," said Kester, who runs cows and grows winegrapes on 22,000 acres near Paso Robles.
Currently, under a tax-relief bill signed by then-President George W. Bush, estates valued at more than $3.5 million, or $7 million for a couple, are taxed at a 45 percent rate. If Congress doesn't act, the rate is set to revert in 2011 to 55 percent on estates worth $1 million or more.
Read More
There is nothing good that comes out of the death tax. It destroys family owned businesses and the jobs they provided. It hits farming and ranching families especially hard. Agriculture is a very capital intensive business which can be valued quite high because of the land involved, yet comes no where close to generating the income required to pay the taxes. In those instances, families are forced to sell part of their farm just to pay the taxes. This type of tax costs our society more than it generates. Do your part and contact your Congressional delegation. Follow the links below to send a message.
If you live in California, use this link:http://bit.ly/1Xj8p
If you live outside of California use this link:http://www.capwiz.com/cfbf/issues/alert/?alertid=14009876&type=cu
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Clean Water Land Grab
Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns: Land Grab, Death Tax, Food Safety
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) are actively working to prevent passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA). The bill, which is scheduled for markup in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on May 7th, would significantly expand federal jurisdiction over private farms and ranches.
"This bill is a dangerous infringement on private property rights and amounts to nothing less than a giant land grab on the part of the federal government," said Tamara Thies, NCBA chief environmental counsel.
Currently, waters under the jurisdiction of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) are defined as "navigable waters of the United States." Other waters are subject to regulation by individual states, which are better equipped to manage their own unique geographical concerns. The Clean Water Restoration Act would remove the word "navigable" from the definition, expanding federal regulatory control to unprecedented levels- putting road ditches, drainage ditches, and other wet areas on private farms and ranches under the regulatory strong-arm of the federal government. Farmers and ranchers could be required to obtain permits for common, everyday operations, like driving a tractor near an irrigation ditch or grazing cattle near a mud hole. Read More
This bill is being described by some as the biggest land grab in the history of our country. Waters on private property would be controlled by the federal government if this passes. Besides the taking of the land that the water is on, they will also dictate how you utilize the surrounding land. If your land ever has a mud puddle on it, you will be affected. Contact your elected officials in Washington DC and let them know how this bill will affect your ability to produce the food and fiber our country depends on.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) are actively working to prevent passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA). The bill, which is scheduled for markup in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on May 7th, would significantly expand federal jurisdiction over private farms and ranches.
"This bill is a dangerous infringement on private property rights and amounts to nothing less than a giant land grab on the part of the federal government," said Tamara Thies, NCBA chief environmental counsel.
Currently, waters under the jurisdiction of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) are defined as "navigable waters of the United States." Other waters are subject to regulation by individual states, which are better equipped to manage their own unique geographical concerns. The Clean Water Restoration Act would remove the word "navigable" from the definition, expanding federal regulatory control to unprecedented levels- putting road ditches, drainage ditches, and other wet areas on private farms and ranches under the regulatory strong-arm of the federal government. Farmers and ranchers could be required to obtain permits for common, everyday operations, like driving a tractor near an irrigation ditch or grazing cattle near a mud hole. Read More
This bill is being described by some as the biggest land grab in the history of our country. Waters on private property would be controlled by the federal government if this passes. Besides the taking of the land that the water is on, they will also dictate how you utilize the surrounding land. If your land ever has a mud puddle on it, you will be affected. Contact your elected officials in Washington DC and let them know how this bill will affect your ability to produce the food and fiber our country depends on.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Can Family Farms Survive Cap and Trade?
Commentary: Cap-and-trade deals final blow to family farms
By Rep. Peter Hoekstra
The "cap-and-trade" national energy tax bill passed by the U.S. House and now making its way through the Senate would impose nearly impossible burdens on agriculture and likely deliver a final death blow to the family farm.
Many Americans rightly fear the devastating effect cap-and-trade will have on our already foundering auto industry. They also understand the increased cost of generating electricity — a cost will be directly passed on to consumers.
Few, however, realize the destructive effect it will have on the family farms. Farming has never been a high-profit business, as those who grow our food can readily attest. They also would tell those of us who get our food at grocery stores that producing it consumes vast amounts of energy.
Energy consumption is essential to farming in so many ways. Vehicles fueled by gasoline and diesel till the soil, plant the seeds, spray essential fertilizers and pesticides, harvest the crops and transport them to processors.
Most fertilizer is made from natural gas and petroleum is an essential part of most pesticides. Many crops, such as commercial corn, which show up in so many of our prepared foods, must be dried using propane gas before being shipped to market.
Of course, none of this includes the high energy costs of processing, packaging and shipping the food to your super market or neighborhood grocery.
Agricultural products are commodities. Their prices are set by the worldwide market and do not automatically go up as farmers' "input" costs rise. In this case, market prices will be held down by imported food products that are not produced under the heavy burden of cap-and-trade.
Read More
While it may be somewhat unclear on the exact impact that cap and trade legislation will have on agriculture in this country, there is no doubt that it will change the way we do business. It’s going to cause prices to rise. It takes energy to do most everything and this is going to be an energy tax to make it plain and simple. And all of this will be done in an attempt to stop our climate from changing for the first time in the history of Earth. In my opinion, it seems a lofty goal to think that we can stop the climate from changing. It’s been doing it for billions of years but many people think that needs to stop. Good luck with that.
By Rep. Peter Hoekstra
The "cap-and-trade" national energy tax bill passed by the U.S. House and now making its way through the Senate would impose nearly impossible burdens on agriculture and likely deliver a final death blow to the family farm.
Many Americans rightly fear the devastating effect cap-and-trade will have on our already foundering auto industry. They also understand the increased cost of generating electricity — a cost will be directly passed on to consumers.
Few, however, realize the destructive effect it will have on the family farms. Farming has never been a high-profit business, as those who grow our food can readily attest. They also would tell those of us who get our food at grocery stores that producing it consumes vast amounts of energy.
Energy consumption is essential to farming in so many ways. Vehicles fueled by gasoline and diesel till the soil, plant the seeds, spray essential fertilizers and pesticides, harvest the crops and transport them to processors.
Most fertilizer is made from natural gas and petroleum is an essential part of most pesticides. Many crops, such as commercial corn, which show up in so many of our prepared foods, must be dried using propane gas before being shipped to market.
Of course, none of this includes the high energy costs of processing, packaging and shipping the food to your super market or neighborhood grocery.
Agricultural products are commodities. Their prices are set by the worldwide market and do not automatically go up as farmers' "input" costs rise. In this case, market prices will be held down by imported food products that are not produced under the heavy burden of cap-and-trade.
Read More
While it may be somewhat unclear on the exact impact that cap and trade legislation will have on agriculture in this country, there is no doubt that it will change the way we do business. It’s going to cause prices to rise. It takes energy to do most everything and this is going to be an energy tax to make it plain and simple. And all of this will be done in an attempt to stop our climate from changing for the first time in the history of Earth. In my opinion, it seems a lofty goal to think that we can stop the climate from changing. It’s been doing it for billions of years but many people think that needs to stop. Good luck with that.
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