The House wanted its vote on Thurs. June 6th on permanent repeal of the estate tax (H.R. 2143) to send a signal to the Senate showing widening support for repeal. The vote did send a signal, though not the one the House had intended.

It was 256 in favor and 171 against. (Click here to view final vote results.) The House vote reveals not more, but less support for permanent repeal from its previous vote to make estate tax repeal permanent in April 2001 (H.R. 8, with 274 in favor and 154 against). Only 41 Democrats voted for repeal this time, as opposed to 58 last year. Moreover, the vote on a Democratic alternative, offered by Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), lost by the narrow margin of 245-190. The Pomeroy substitute included an immediate exemption of $3 million ($6 million per couple). Currently, $1 million (double for couples) is exempted, rising to $3.5 million (double for couples) in 2009.

The House vote yesterday shows that our efforts are making a difference. Now it's time to call or email your Senators to support fair and reasonable reform of the estate tax and to oppose making repeal of the estate tax permanent -- you can use this link to email your Senators directly.


Please see www.fairestatetax.org for more information.