AIADA Statement on Sen. Sessions Death Tax Repeal Bill

Alexandria, VA (May 10) -- American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) Chairman Jim Evans today issued the following statement in response to Sen. Jeff Sessions’ Jobs Protection and Estate Tax Reform Act of 2005:

“The entire body of auto dealers supports Sen. Sessions’ efforts to permanently repeal the federal death tax. Permanent repeal of the death tax will return badly needed predictability to the federal tax code, and it will help thousands of auto dealerships put in place plans for prudent growth and job creation.

“Auto dealers categorically consider the federal death tax to be the single-biggest burden on their operations contained within the federal tax code. It forces dealership to divert tens of thousands of dollars every year to costly accountants, tax attorneys, insurance agents and other death tax planning. And as the death tax forces dealerships to divert resources away from business operations, business expansion and job creation are forced onto the backburner.

“Permanent death tax repeal is among the most important legislative priorities for international nameplate auto dealers. Nearly 84 percent of voters consider the tax unfair, according to a survey conducted by AIADA last year, and voters support permanent repeal by an overwhelming three-to-one margin. It’s time to repeal this tax once and for all.”