On December 11, 2009, in an article titled, Rep Hoyer: Congress May Add Estate-Tax Fix To Defense Bill, Martin Vaughan (Dow Jones Newswires) reported:
U.S. congressional Democrats may tack a temporary measure to prevent the repeal of the estate tax on a defense spending bill headed to the House floor next week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said Friday.
Hoyer said no decision has yet been made as to how many years the estate-tax measure will cover, and he said talks with the Senate are continuing about how to address the tax. . . .
A leading option under discussion in the House is to extend the 2009 levels for one year only. That would raise $2.5 billion in revenue.
A two-year extension has also been discussed. That would avoid the scheduled repeal, but also provide a tax cut relative to current law in 2011. . . .
A temporary estate-tax fix would still face obstacles, including threats from conservative House Blue Dog Democrats to hold it up if the Senate doesn't pass legislation requiring that new mandatory spending be offset by spending cuts or tax increases, known as Paygo.
