Friday, December 02, 2005

The Independent Online - News-"Who’s afraid of the death tax?

The Independent Online - News: "Who’s afraid of the death tax?

Nobody likes to talk about death, especially those whose livelihoods revolve around the life cycles of cattle and crops. But as Benjamin Franklin succinctly put it: “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

“Death” and “taxes” are dirty words to a lot of people, and when the conversation turns to the so-called “death tax,” hackles get raised in a hurry. Critics of the federal estate tax say it’s immoral and un-American and hurts family farms and small businesses.

But how many Montana families have actually had to sell the farm in order to pay “death taxes?”

None, says Dr. Marsha Goetting, professor and family-economics specialist at Montana State University’s Depart-ment of Agriculture and Economics."

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