8—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 3, 2016
www.clevelandbanner.com
Area lawmakers happy to see state ‘estate tax’ eliminated
By ALLEN MINCEY
Banner Staff Writer
Area state legislators are
pleased to see some of
Tennessee’s new laws go into
effect beginning this month, but
none as much as one discontinuing the Tennessee Estate Tax,
which was commonly called “the
Death Tax.”
The tax was eliminated on Jan.
1 after many lawmakers had
called it an unfair penalty on
those left behind after a loved one
dies.
“I am pleased we finally see
the realization of the multi-year
plan to eliminate the Estate
Tax,” said District 24 State Rep.
Kevin Brooks, who represents a
portion of Bradley County
including the city of Cleveland.
“It was a healthy diet of staggered reduction, but in 2016, it
is complete.”
The Tennessee Estate Tax
would have survivors pay a tax
on property owned by the
deceased dependent on that
property’s value. Though in
2015 that taxable amount was
at $5 million worth of property,
the tax had been specified on
property with a much lesser
value in previous years.
The law had been altered for
several years as state legislators
were hearing more and more
complaints about the fairness of
it, and how it often affected the
family who was left behind following the death of the owner.
“District 22 (which includes
portions of Bradley County,
along with all of Meigs and Polk
counties) is primarily a rural
area with many farmers. Now
the heirs of these farmers with
property that has been in the
family for generations won’t
have to sell the farm to pay the
taxes,” said District 22 State
Rep. Dan Howell.
“I feel this was one of the
worst laws ever passed in
Tennessee. I am glad the end is
in sight.”
Brooks agreed.
“No longer will hard-working
Tennessee families and business
owners be forced to make difficult
decisions after the death of a
matriarch or patriarch of the family.
“Sadly, in the past, Tennessee
families were forced to sell
homes, farms or factories just to
pay the taxes owed,” Brooks
added. “I was proud to vote and
co-sponsor the elimination of
this burdensome estate tax.”
Brooks said families and business owners will be able to pass to
the next generation “all that they
worked for a lifetime to build.”
“I am proud to be in a state
like that,” he added.
District 9 State Sen. Mike
Bell, who represents Bradley,
McMinn, Meigs, Monroe and
Polk counties, said he was
equally pleased to see this tax
removed from the books. He was
also encouraged by two new
laws that went into effect on
Friday.
“I am pleased with the phasing out of the ‘Death Tax’ and
also the two pro-life laws that
the legislature passed in
response to the people of
Tennessee passing Amendment
1 in the fall of 2014,” Bell said.
“One requires a 48-hour waiting period before an abortion
can be obtained, and the other
requires all abortion clinics to
be licensed.”
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire,
who represents District 10 (portions of both Bradley and
Hamilton
counties),
was
unavailable for comment over
the holidays.
The State Legislature will
return to Nashville on Tue 6F