Spring 2010 issue of Horizons

GENERAL TOPICS

Estate Taxes Over The Next Decade

The theme for this issue of Horizons is the “next decade.” What should we be planning for and what will the next decade look like? When it comes to estate taxes, however, anticipating what that tax will look like in 10 years, let alone the next six months, is close to impossible. The estate tax has been in a flux since 2001, when Congress passed and President Bush signed into law the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act. Under the act, from 2002 through 2009, the value a taxpayer’s estate could be before being subject to an estate tax has gradually increased.

By Rich Petrofsky, JD, LLM

Predictions are difficult, especially about the future. — Danish Physicist Niels Bohr

In addition, during this same time frame, the estate tax rate has decreased.

17 u spring 2010 issue