One of the conservative goals former President George W. Bush was unable to get through the Senate was "making the tax cuts permanent." He only got them passed -- using Senate budget reconciliation rules -- by employing a budget gimmick to mask the 10-year cost.
Simply make all the tax cuts expire in 2011, producing tons of revenue at the very end of the time period the Congressional Budget Office was using to estimate total costs.
Bush, those conservative congresspeople and their corporate patrons never intended to stick with that plan. They always assumed Congress would face intense pressure to keep all the tax cuts, no matter what the economic and fiscal picture.
Not that the middle-class tax cuts would expire. President Obama appears committed to keeping those. But those massive tax breaks to the superwealthy don't quite have the same juice they used to.
Especially, the estate tax -- levied on the inheritances of the wealthiest heirs in America.
This year, because of the Bush tax plan from his first term to gradually phase out the estate tax altogether, the estate tax is literally wiped off the books.
But in 2011, it returns! Inheritance income above the $2 million threshold would be subject to a 55% tax.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-scher/superwealthy-deathly-afra_b_490567.html