Farm Bureau Presses Congress to End Estate Taxes

"Farming and ranching is an industry dominated by family businesses," said American Farm Bureau Federation President Dean Kleckner. "Most of a farmer's assets are usually tied up in their land, buildings and equipment. And when parents die, sons and daughters are faced with huge tax bills-and the government expects to be paid in cash. To pay the government, bits and pieces of their farms have to be sold, destroying the family farm business."

Kleckner, an Iowa corn, soybean and hog farmer, commended the House Ways and Means Committee for moving legislation that would end the federal estate tax. And he urged Congress to pass the bill and President Clinton to sign the measure into law.

"Farm families across this nation have worked long and hard hours to build their businesses," Kleckner said. "Along the way they paid taxes on all that they earn and it is wrong to destroy their businesses by making them pay taxes again at death."

Fourth-generation Florida farmers Mickey and Tammy Diamond joined Kleckner today at a Capitol Hill news conference. The Diamonds-like many of their young-farmer counterparts across the country-are fearful that the estate tax could determine the future of their family farm and dictate what the generations of Diamonds that follow will do for a living.

"My wife and I hope that we can continue to farm and that we will be able to pass along our lifestyle and our business to the next generation," Mickey Diamond said. "This won't be possible unless estate taxes are ended. Congress should act now to end federal estate taxes."

This page was last modified Wed Jul 21, 1999 at 01:00 am