Two senators, a Democrat and a Republican, are pushing to revive the expired estate tax at a reduced rate.
Democrat Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona hope to attach the new estate tax to a small business lending bill pending in the Senate. Their bill would set the top estate tax rate at 35 percent, with a per-person exemption of $5 million, indexed to inflation.
In 2009, the top estate tax rate was 45 percent with a per-person exemption of $3.5 million. Congress allowed the estate tax to expire this year, but it is scheduled to come back next year with a top rate of 55 percent, unless Congress acts.
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