Rep. Kelly Supports Repeal of Federal Death Tax
House passes ‘Death Tax Repeal Act’ co-sponsored by Kelly
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Committee – delivered remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives this morning in support of H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015, of which he is a co-sponsor. The legislation will permanently repeal the federal estate tax, also known as the “death tax,” a 40 percent tax on an individual’s transfer of assets in excess of an exemption amount to the next generation at the time of his or her death. The bill was subsequently passed by the House with bipartisan support by a vote of 240-179.
Highlights of Rep. Kelly’s floor remarks:
“I want you to think about something: The entire produce of a woman or man’s life – after they’ve paid their local taxes, their state taxes, their federal taxes, all the sales tax over their life, and the way they’ve contributed to build their communities – at the time of their death … God forbid these hardworking American taxpayers are allowed to pass on to the next generation that which they were able to accumulate.”
“My dad was a parts picker in a Chevrolet warehouse. He married the girl who ran the switchboard at that warehouse. That was my mother. He went on from World War II, he came back home, started with a little car dealership in Verona, Pennsylvania – one car showroom, four service bays – and built it into something he was very proud of and was able to pass on to me and my brothers. Now, we want to go after these folks not because they were successful but because they died! And because the government cannot live within its means.”
“So when we go to the viewing, we go to the funeral home, and when we go to pay our respects, we’re also telling [those taxed after death], ‘Thanks for all your hard work; you did a great job; you contributed so much… and now the government wants to take some of that produce of your entire life because they can’t live within their means. You lived within your means, you tightened your belt when you had to, you made more with less—but no, that’s not good enough! Because we can’t rein in spending, we can’t stop taxing.’ That is egregious.”
“In the United States of America, to sit back and look at all those who have done so much and paid so many taxes in their lifetime and yet to say upon their death, they are not allowed to pass this on to the next generation. [To Democrats:] You’re separating the country; you’re dividing the country, rich versus poor. That’s egregious. This is America.”
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