All eight GOP U.S. representatives from Tennessee have sponsored a bill to repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, collectively known as the death tax.
The Death Tax Repeal Act, introduced by Iowa U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), would permanently repeal the death tax, which lawmakers say “imposes an unfair and costly tax on the transfer of property, land, and other assets from a deceased family member to heirs of family farms and small businesses.”
Tennessee U.S. Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), John Rose (R-TN-06), Mark Green (R-TN-07), and David Kustoff (R-TN-08) all sponsored the bill.
I am proud to join @RepFeenstra in introducing legislation to repeal the Death Tax.
— Congressman John Rose (@RepJohnRose) January 23, 2024
“Tennessee can always teach Washington a thing or two, and this is a prime example,” Rose said in a statement. “Farm families should be able to pass their family farms to the next generation without the heavy burden of the Death Tax. We repealed it in Tennessee, and it’s time we repeal it nationally. That’s why I am proud to support this legislation to axe the Death Tax once and for all.”
Tennessee repealed its own death tax, known formally as the state’s inheritance tax, in 2015. Rose was a member of the Tennesseans Against the Death Tax group that spearheaded the effort to repeal the tax.
The bill to repeal the death tax on a national level, as of Tuesday, had 161 co-sponsors – 160 Republicans and one Democrat – and was supported by 194 organizations, according to Feenstra’s office.
Upon introduction, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, which is chaired by Missouri U.S. Representative Jason Smith (R-MO-08).
Smith called the bill a “necessary step to ensuring that family-owned farms and small businesses across America can continue to thrive and carry on their family’s legacy of hard work.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
