About the Estate Tax

About the Estate Tax:

News

Estate Tax Repeal Would Hurt Charitable Giving, New CBO Reports Say 08/04/2004
Two new studies by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) find that a permanent repeal of the federal estate tax would greatly reduce charitable giving. The CBO estimated that overall charitable giving would decline between 6 and 12 percent, and the decline in charitable bequests would range from 20 to 30 percent, if the estate tax were fully repealed.

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CBO Releases Two New Studies Examining Impact of Estate Tax on Charitible Giving 07/26/2004
The Congressional Budget Office has released two new reports on the impact of the estate tax on charitable giving. The reports confirm that there is a significant negative impact on charitable giving that would result from the elimination of the estate tax. Read More

Presentation Highlights Important Implication of Reform Options to Estate Tax 06/17/2004
The Tax Policy Center has recently created an extremely sophisticated microsimulation model of the estate tax. A recent presentation to American's for a Fair Estate Tax highlights some of the important implications of various reform options.

A longer analysis will be produced by the Tax Policy Center in the Near Future, but the presentation gives some preliminary results.

A Model of the Estate Tax, by Len Burman, Bill Gale, and Jeff Rohaly (.ppt)

The Estate Tax: By the Numbers 04/19/2004

The Tax Policy Center has recently posted tables displaying the impact of the estate tax. The analysis shows just how few people would benefit from a repeal of the estate tax:
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Federal Estate Tax Calculator - 2004 Law 04/13/2004
How much do people pay in estate taxes? Use the calculator below to find out. Read More

Background Information and Data on the Estate Tax Debate 01/22/2004

A power-point presentation of the major issues and data on the estate tax, with an emphasis on charitable giving.

Estate Tax Fact Sheet 11/14/2003
Basic information about the estate tax and the effects of a repeal can be found by downloading the following FactSheet.

Estate Tax: FactSheet (.pdf) October, 2003.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Estate Tax 05/23/2002
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About the Estate Tax 05/23/2002
General information about the estate tax. Read More

What Are Marginal Tax Rates? 05/17/2002
Debates over federal tax policy can be complicated enough. This explanation of "marginal tax rates" tries to sort through one element of taxes that is often used to exaggerate tax rates. Read more

Estate Tax Data & Terminology 05/17/2002
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation data and reports on the estate tax and OMB Watch explanations of key elements of the estate tax policy. Read More

Calculating the Estate Tax 05/17/2002
The following provides a general overview of how the federal government calculates an estate’s tax liability and the many options the tax code provides for reducing an estate’s overall tax liability.

This information is intended to serve as an introduction to the estate tax and should not be considered as legal or financial advice.
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