In a recent letter to his colleagues, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) reaffirmed his promise to hold a vote on full repeal of the estate tax, writing that one of his major priorities this summer is to "kill the death tax forever." Groups on both sides of the issue are stepping up their efforts leading up to the vote, holding press conferences and events and producing reports, all in the hopes of getting as much attention as possible from legislators around what promises to be a very close battle. You can still add your voice to growing support for the dynasty tax. While passage of full repeal of the estate tax does not appear likely in the Senate (repeal passed in the House last April), a back-door repeal proposal put forth by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) could potentially garner enough support to pass in the Senate. Kyl's "reform," supported by a number of Republicans, would likely raise the estate tax exemption level to $5 million ($10 million per couple) and set the tax rate at 15 percent, equal to that of the capital gains tax. This reform previously reported on by OMB Watch amounts to little more than repeal, because it would cost upwards of 90 percent of the cost of full repeal. Before Frist brings any votes to the floor, however, members will be heavily lobbied by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and other anti-tax groups at the annual Summit for Permanent Death Tax Repeal in Washington, DC on May 2. According to a NAM statement, "during the day-long event, family business owners will meet with Members of Congress to discuss the impact of the death tax on their ability to create jobs, invest in needed capital improvements, and continue giving to their local community." Their message is in direct conflict with a number of recently released reports that all point to the best interests of the country being served by retaining the estate tax. The recent National Council of La Raza report Undercutting the American Dream concludes that the wealth gap between Latinos and other Americans would be exacerbated by repeal of the estate tax. The report concludes that, "[f]ew Latinos are aware of the importance of the tax in supporting government programs, encouraging charitable giving, and restricting growth in the race-ethnic wealth gap. The repeal of the estate tax will hurt the budget and exacerbate the wealth gap. For these reasons, Congress should not repeal the tax. Rather, lawmakers should concentrate on raising needed revenue to balance the budget and institute stronger policies that assist asset-poor families in building wealth." In addition, Public Citizen and United for a Fair Economy released a Apr. 25 joint report entitled, Spending Millions to Save Billions: The Campaign of the Super Wealthy to Kill the Estate Tax, bringing to light the secret funding of anti-estate tax groups by super-wealthy families. Specifically, the report points to 18 families, who have "strategically stayed out of sight," while funneling money to various anti-tax organizations to fight on their behalf. These families, according to the report, have spent millions upon millions of dollars to repeal the estate tax to allow their heirs to avoid paying billions in taxes. Your Senators needs to hear from you about the estate tax! The vote could be anytime in May or June - contact your Senators today! TAKE ACTION and help us counter the myths pushed by the National Association of Manufacturers and other pro-repeal groups. Tell your Senators to oppose more tax cuts for multimillionaires by voting NO on repeal and irresponsible reform.