BILL REQ. #:  S-3692.1 

Read first time 01/22/2004.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     TO THE HONORABLE PATTY MURRAY, THE HONORABLE MARIA CANTWELL, THE HONORABLE JAY INSLEE, THE HONORABLE RICK LARSEN, THE HONORABLE BRIAN BAIRD, THE HONORABLE RICHARD "DOC" HASTINGS, THE HONORABLE GEORGE NETHERCUTT, THE HONORABLE NORM DICKS, THE HONORABLE JIM MCDERMOTT, THE HONORABLE JENNIFER DUNN, AND THE HONORABLE ADAM SMITH:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     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     WHEREAS, If the death tax had been repealed in 1996, the United States economy would have realized billions of dollars each year in extra output and an average of 145,000 additional new jobs would have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, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that our elected Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress support, work to pass, and vote for the immediate and permanent repeal of the death tax.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to each member of Congress from the State of Washington.