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Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

  UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Estate Tax Briefings

A successful nonprofit briefing on the estate tax was held on June 6. A press briefing to release the results of a nationwide poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research will be held Wednesday, June 12.

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House Passes Permanent Repeal of the Estate Tax (Again)

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.

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AFL-CIO Letter to House Members

The AFL-CIO sent this letter to all House members on June 5, 2002, urging them to vote "No" on H.R. 2143, which calls for permanent repeal of the estate tax. The letter encourages Congress to "delay the implementation of any new tax cut, including those which have already been enacted but not yet implemented, until our domestic priorities are met and Social Security and Medicare are fully protected." June 5, 2002 Dear Representative: The AFL-CIO strongly urges you to vote against H.R. 2143, the permanent estate tax repeal act, which the House is scheduled to consider tomorrow.

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House Passes Permanent Estate Tax Repeal

The House wanted its vote yesterday 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. (Final vote results can be found at http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-

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Taxpayers for Common Sense Letter to House Members

Taxpayers for Common Sensesent this letter to all House members on June 5, 2002, urging them to vote "No" on H.R. 2143 for permanent repeal of the estate tax. The letter argues that, "The nation cannot afford this legislation at this time. Even if the lost revenues could be offset, the long-term revenue losses will cause significant future economic problems, all in the name of assisting a very small number of wealthy families to escape inheritance tax liability." Read more from Taxpayers for Common Sense

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"House Backs Permanent End to Estate Tax"

Carl Hulse in the New York Times, June 7, 2002 This NYT article highlights the politics underlying the June 6 House passage of permanent estate tax repeal in a 256-171 vote -- House Republican leaders hope to use the vote and the upcoming November elections to pressure Senators to pass permanent repeal in a vote expected by June 28. The House vote, however, reveals not more, but less support for permanent repeal as compared with its previous vote to make estate tax repeal permanent in April 2001 (H.R. 8, which passed, 274-154).

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Transport Workers Union Letter to House Members

The Transport Workers Union sent this letter to all House members on June 5, 2002, urging them to vote "No" on H.R. 2143 for permanent repeal of the estate tax. The letter notes that, "In every other war in American history taxes have been raised to defray the costs of the war. During World War I wealthy Americans asked to have their taxes raised so they could participate in the war effort and do their share." June 5, 2002 Dear Representative:

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American's for A Fair Estate Tax - Letter to Senators

Americans for a Fair Estate Tax 1742 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 TEL: (202) 234-8494 &nbsp FAX: (202) 234-8584 &nbsp www.fairestatetax.org June 6, 2002 Dear Senator __________: Sometime this month, under a previous unanimous consent agreement, the Senate will take up legislation to determine the fate of the federal estate tax. During the debate, Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) will offer an amendment to permanently repeal the federal estate tax. We strongly urge you to vote “No” on the Gramm amendment.

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American's for a Fair Estate Tax - Letter to Members of the House

Americans for a Fair Estate Tax 1742 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 TEL: (202) 234-8494 &nbsp FAX: (202) 234-8584 &nbsp www.fairestatetax.org June 3, 2002 Dear Representative: The House is expected to take up legislation to permanently eliminate the estate tax on Thursday, June 6. We strongly urge you to vote “No” to “The Permanent Death Repeal Act” (HR 2143). Proponents of repealing the estate tax have attempted to create numerous myths about the estate tax.

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National Women's Law Center: "Permanent Tax Breaks for the Wealthiest 2% Are Unfair"

This June 2002 2-page fact sheet from the National Women's Law Center provides a concise look at -- among other aspects of estate tax repeal -- a comparison between the extremely limited number of people who would benefit from permanent repeal of the estate tax with the vast number of people who could benefit from using the funds preserved through sensible reform to strengthen Social Security. Read more tax analyses from NWLC

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Resources & Research

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

People of color and people living in poverty, especially poor children of color, are significantly more likely...

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A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

The 100 largest CEO retirement funds are worth a combined $4.9 billion, equal to the entire retirement account savings of 41 percent of American fam...

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