Neal Dunn: “There is one main reason, Mr. Speaker, why the majority of this Congress and 85 percent of the American people support…”

“There is one main reason, Mr. Speaker, why the majority of this Congress and 85 percent of the American people support the repeal of the death tax, that reason is fairness. It has been said that only with our government are you given a certificate at birth, a license at marriage, and a bill at death. One of the most compelling aspects of the American dream is to make life better for our children and our loved ones. Yet the current tax treatment of a person's life savings is so onerous that when one dies, the children are often forced to turn over sometimes more than half of their savings of their parent's hard work during their lifetimes to the Federal Government. Even worse, not only does this take place at an agonizing time in the life of a family, but often these people are forced to watch their loved one's legacy be snatched up by an entity not known for its great insight in spending taxpayer funds. This is not fair. Death should not trigger a tax. We should not dishonor the hard work of those who have passed on.”