| APRIL 30, 2013 -- The National Grange filed an amicus brief Monday in opposition to the estate tax and a recent court decision in which defendants were ordered to pay more in inheritance taxes than what the inherited property was worth.
United States v. MacIntyre, heard by the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, has presented the question: Does the law permit the government to collect more from a donee than the value of the gift received?
The Grange, along with the National Black Chamber of Commerce who initiated the action, and the Sixty Plus Association, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and the Center for Individual Freedom, have responded with a resounding “no,” insisting that the government’s pursuance of such funds amounts to little more than greed.
“The Grange has long been an opponent of the estate tax. It does nothing but prevent the American dream from becoming a reality,” National Grange President Edward Luttrell said. “Farmers and ranchers all over the country have worked their entire lives in order to leave their children something substantial that could be passed on to future generations and the inheritance tax does nothing but work to destroy that legacy.”
“So many multi-generational farms and ranches have been lost because of the inheritor’s inability to pay the estate tax on the property. The original owners already worked to pay off this land so their children would be land owners able to support continued operations or realize the investment of ownership,” National Grange Legislative Director Grace Boatright said.
The amicus brief will be put on the record and allows the voices of farmers, ranchers, and other landowners to be heard.
Established in 1867, The National Grange, a nonpartisan, nonprofit fraternal organization, is the oldest agricultural and rural community service organization. With more than 2,100 local chapters, the Grange has evolved into the nation’s leading rural advocacy organization and a major benefactor to local communities. There are more than 160,000 members across the United States. |
