After more than four years of battling to repeal one of Virginia's most unfair forms of taxation, both House and Senate budget conferees Friday night, as part of their comprehensive budget deal, endorsed full repeal of the state death tax.

We anticipate legislation repealing the death tax on July 1, 2007 will be introduced within the next 48-72 hours. We anticipate a final vote on TUESDAY.

The Senate is scheduled to meet Monday and may address repeal of the death tax. The House Finance Committee will likely hear the legislation on Tuesday, June 20. Both chambers will need to endorse this legislation, as well, but it serves as an incredibly positive step that leaders of both chambers and the budget conferees have endorsed this deal.

Please contact your legislators TODAY by email and on MONDAY by phone to let them know you support full repeal of the death tax and urge them to support the legislation. Urge them to oppose ALL amendments as any amendment to the bill jeopardizes the likelihood of success. You can reach them by clicking here.

Special thanks to budget conferees and Speaker Bill Howell, Senator John Watkins and Delegate Lee Ware for their work to close this deal. Budget conferees include:

Appreciation needs to be extended, as well, to Governor Tim Kaine who pledged his support for full repeal and, we understand, has spoken about his support for full repeal recently. We look forward to the legislature sending a bill for his signature.

Especially, special thanks, to Delegate Bob Tata and Senator Tommy Norment who over the last four years have worked to repeal the death tax.

Finally, special thanks to you and the members of our more than 60 member coalition, including the NFIB, the Virginia Agribusiness Council and the Virginia Farm Bureau. Click here to see a list of all of our coalition members.

For talking points on why Virginia should repeal its death tax, click here.

The death tax is one of the most onerous and unfair taxes imposed in the United States. Virginia is one of but a handful of states that continues to collect this tax after the federal government began to repeal the tax in 2001. Even with shortcomings at the federal level for full repeal, it is important that Virginia repeal their tax, which can be as high as 16 percent of an estate's value.

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