The Trump Tax Cuts Accelerated Economic Growth

By Palmer Schoening Last month, millions of Americans filed their taxes for the first time under the Republican led Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that President Donald Trump signed into law around Christmas 2017. TCJA cut taxes for the vast majority of all Americans, though some Democrats in Congress along with many in the media dubbed this a “middle-class tax hike,” and a handout to the “one percent.” The fake news regarding tax cuts started well before the bill’s passage and continues to this day. Take what then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi…continue reading →

Liz Warren Would Hike Taxes On Family Businesses To Inflate The Next Housing Crisis

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the latest presidential candidate to propose a massive increase in the death tax to finance government policies that have failed in the past. Warren’s Senate Bill 787, the “American Housing and Economic Mobility Act,” would resurrect several housing policies that many economists agree accelerated the housing crisis and compromised the financial future of thousands of American family business owners and their employees. Warren’s goal is admirable in seeking to make it easier for Americans to rent or own homes, but the means she would use to achieve this end are…continue reading →

151 Organizations Sign Coalition Letter Supporting Death Tax Repeal Act

For Immediate Release:                                                         Contact: Alex Ayers February 20, 2019                                                                   Alex[@]familybusinesscoalition.org 151 Organizations Sign Coalition Letter Supporting Death Tax Repeal Act Diverse Business Coalition Supports Legislation to Repeal the Federal Estate Tax Washington, DC – Today, the Family Business Coalition (FBC) released a letter signed by over 150 small business associations and advocacy groups supporting the bipartisan Death Tax Repeal Act. Associations include the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, International Franchise Association, and many more. Together these groups support millions of jobs across every…continue reading →

IRS Announces Higher 2019 Estate And Gift Tax Limits

By: Ashlea Ebeling The Internal Revenue Service announced today the official estate and gift tax limits for 2019: The estate and gift tax exemption is $11.4 million per individual, up from $11.18 million in 2018. That means an individual can leave $11.4 million to heirs and pay no federal estate or gift tax, while a married couple will be able to shield $22.8 million. The annual gift exclusion amount remains the same at $15,000. For the ultra rich, these numbers represent planning opportunities. For everybody else, they serve as a reminder: Even if…continue reading →

FBC Supports H.R. 6329, The Family Business Legacy Act

Today the Family Business Coalition led a letter signed by 16 organizations supporting Congresswoman Noem's Small Business Legacy Act, HR. 6329. The bill unifies the tax treatment of contributions to non-profit organizations for the estate and gift tax. In 2015, the PATH Act clarified that gifts to certain non-profit organizations do not count against a taxpayer's gift tax exemption. The Small Business Legacy Act extends the same tax treatment of gifts to transfers at death. Politico Morning Tax ran a story on Wednesday highlighting FBC's support of the bill. "FIRST LOOK: The Family…continue reading →

May Jobs Report Shows A Resurgent Economy – Good News for Family Businesses and Employees

Confidence in the American economy is continuing to rise as employers continue to hire workers and increase wages. Today’s release of the May jobs report revealed that the unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent, tying a low only reached once before in the last five decades. Since the beginning of the year, the economy has averaged 207,000 new jobs per month, a faster pace than in the previous two years. In May alone, 223,000 new jobs were added to the economy. All major unemployment measures are in decline, including the U-6 rate that…continue reading →

Infrastructure Week offers opportunity for rural family businesses through TV white spaces

Infrastructure week provides an opportunity for lawmakers and business to come together to focus on policies that will help employers, employees, and industry as a whole. With economic prosperity being the goal of the administration, small businesses will continue to be the beneficiaries of the administration’s largely business-friendly posture. While much of the infrastructure focus has been on energy, roads, and air traffic control, we believe that one infrastructure change that will have a significant impact on family businesses in rural states is the development and deployment of rural broadband. Broadband access was…continue reading →

FBC Celebrates Small Business Week 2018

The U.S. Small Business Administration has dubbed April 29th through May 5th “Small Business Week”, and while many commemorative “weeks” are celebrated each year, this one is particularly impactful for the Family Business Coalition. Small Business Week celebrates the 30 million entrepreneurs across the country that support the vast majority of American workers. While 60% of U.S. workers are employed by small businesses, the overwhelming number of those small businesses are family owned and operated. Family businesses are America’s economic engine, accounting for nearly 78% of all new job creation. Small businesses, including…continue reading →

Senate Passes Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Doesn’t Kill The Death Tax

Late Friday night, the Senate joined the House in passing its tax reform framework, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in a 51-49 vote. For decades, family businesses of all sizes have operated under an outdated and complicated tax code. The passage of the Senate tax reform bill is another step toward lasting reform that simplifies the tax system, reduces tax burdens on small businesses, and boosts income for workers. The Senate tax reform proposal remedies several significant shortcomings of the current code by reducing the corporate rate to 20 percent, lowering taxes…continue reading →

House Passes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Earlier today the House passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H.R. 1, paving the way for the permanent repeal of the estate tax and enacting several long-awaited, pro-business reforms to our tax code. Full repeal of the estate tax has been the primary goal of FBC since the organization was founded in 2012. Repeal legislation gained 218 cosponsors in both the 112th and 113th Congress and passed the House in 2015. Today, 150 of our partner organizations can celebrate estate tax repeal in comprehensive tax reform, which passed with a vote of…continue reading →