Reps. Gosselin, Drolet, Sheen, Hoogendyk, Acciavatti, Baxter, Casperson, Caul, Elsenheimer, Farhat, Garfield, Hansen, Hildenbrand, Jones, Marleau, Mortimer, Nitz, Nofs, Palmer, Pearce, Rocca, Shaffer, Stahl, Steil and Vander Veen offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 193.

            A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to abolish the death tax permanently.

            Whereas, Under tax relief legislation passed in 2001, the federal death tax was temporarily phased out but not permanently eliminated; and

            Whereas, Farmers and other small business owners will face losing their farms and businesses if the federal government resumes the heavy taxation of citizens at death; and

            Whereas, This is a tax that is particularly damaging to families who are working their way up the ladder and trying to accumulate wealth for the first time; and

            Whereas, Employees suffer layoffs when small and medium businesses are liquidated to pay death taxes; and

            Whereas, If the death tax had been repealed in 1996, the United States economy would have realized billions of dollars each year in extra output, and an average of 145,000 additional new jobs would have been created; and

            Whereas, As indicated by votes in the past in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, it is clear that repeal of the death tax holds wide bipartisan support; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to abolish the death tax permanently; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.