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227 IRET Congressional Advisory 1 (2007)

handle is hein.taxfoundation/iretcgadv0224 and id is 1 raw text is: INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON THE ECONOMICS OF TAXATION
IRET is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) economic policy research and educational organization devoted to informing
the public about policies that will promote growth and efficient operation of the market economy.

September 27, 2007

Advisory No. 227

KILL THE DEATH TAX

The Federal unified estate and gift tax (a.k.a. the
Death Tax)
The Federal government imposes a unified estate
and gift tax on transfers of property by lifetime gift or
at death, above certain exempt amounts. (See Chart
1.) The rates are graduated. Prior to the Economic
Growth and Tax Reconciliation Act of 2001, the
bottom marginal tax rates were offset by a credit
(exempting the first $625,000 of an estate in 2001),
but once the estate reached taxable levels, the tax

rates started at 37%. The estate tax had a flat top rate
of 55% on the largest estates. (The lower graduated
tax rates on estates below $3 million were offset by a
higher rate of 60% -  i.e., 55% plus a 5% surtax -
applied to estates between $10 million and $17.184
million). Beneficiaries were allowed a step-up in
basis for future capital gains on inherited assets.
That is, their acquisition price was assumed to be the
market value of the assets at the death of the decedent
(or at the time of receipt by the beneficiary), rather
than the original purchase price of the decedent. This

Chart 1
Marginal Tax Rate Schedule Of Federal Estate And Gift Tax

Changes in Future Years
Estate Tax            Gift Tax
Year       Top Tax     Lifetime  Top Tax   Lifetime
Rate      Amount     Rate      Amount
Exempted             Exempted
by Credit            by Credit
2001         60%       675,000    60%       675,000
2002         50%      1,000,000   50%     1,000,000
2003         49%      1,000,000   49%     1,000,000
2004         48%      1,500,000   48%     1,000,000
2005         47%      1,500,000   47%     1,000,000
2006         46%      2,000,000   46%     1,000,000
2007         45%      2,000,000   45%     1,000,000
2008         45%      2,000,000   45%     1,000,000
2009         45%      3,500,000   45%     1,000,000
2010       Estate Tax Repealedt   35%*    1,000,000
2011             Old Estate and Gift Tax Returns*
Estate Tax Credit reduced by amt of Credit used against Gift Tax.
*Gift tax only
t Estate Tax repealed but bequests may be subject to capital
gains tax.
* 2001 Tax Act disappears at end of 2010, unless extended or
made permanent.

S   I    g6~      g       Agg

For 2001
If Taxable Estate/Gift is:  The Marginal
Over:       But not over:   Tax Rate is:
$       0        $10,000         18%*
10,000        20,000         20%'
20,000        40,000         22%*
40,000        60,000         24%'
60,000        80,000         26%*
80,000       100,000         28%'
100,000       150,000         30%*
150,000       250,000         32%'
250,000       500,000         34%*
500,000       750,000         37%'
750,000      1,000,000        39%
1,000,000     1,250,000         41%
1,250,000     1,500,000         43%
1,500,000     2,000000          45%
2,000,000     2,500,000         49%
2,500,000     3,000,000         53%
3,000,000    10,000,000         55%
10,000,000    17,184,000        60%
Over 17,184,000                55%
A Credit offsets the tax on the first $675,000 of
lifetime transfers in 2001, effectively making the
tax rate zero on transfers below $675,000.

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