The federal tax on estates was a favorite target for Senate candidates Timothy M. Kaine and George Allen on Friday in Lynchburg.
Kaine, a Democrat, said he?d like to reform the estate tax to help farm families keep their land. Allen, a Republican, said he wanted to get rid of the tax.
The two candidates differed on health care, environmental issues and other topics as they spoke separately in a forum sponsored by the Virginia Farm Bureau, an agribusiness council and two forest-product associations. More than 100 attended.
On the estate tax, which sparked several questions from the audience, Allen and Kaine took similar positions.
Allen said, ?Let?s give the death penalty to the death tax,? adding a quote he made up paraphrasing Patrick Henry, ?there should be no taxation without respiration.?
Kaine reminded the audience that during his term as governor,?Virginia eliminated its estate tax.
The Democrat took a more nuanced approach on the federal version of the tax, saying he ?would be very open to reforms that enable farm land to stay in families? so it can produce crops and food.
Kaine also said he wouldn?t eliminate the estate tax ?for people who are worth $50 or $60 or $70 million.?
Allen drew applause when he said he wants to be the 51st vote in the Senate to repeal the Affordable Care Act upheld by the Supreme Court in June.
Kaine said ?I would absolutely not repeal? the health-care reform, because it?s already covering preventive health care and drug benefits for seniors, while allowing young adults to get health insurance on their parents? plans.
But, Kaine said, he?d like to improve the plan by making payments to doctors based on outcomes rather than medical procedures. ?The plan, he said, needs to allow the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies on the prices of Medicare drugs.
Allen took a swing at the Environmental Protection Agency, saying its anti-coal policies are costing jobs and driving up the price of fertilizer and other chemicals.
?It?s my general view that we really need to unleash our American energy resources? to create jobs, reduce electric rates and increase revenue without raising taxes, Allen said.
His first act as a senator, Allen said, would introduce a bill to drill for oil and gas off Virginia?s coast. The crowd applauded the promise.
Kaine said he learned as governor it?s best to strike a balance on environmental issues, and he set aside $50 million to help farmers curb runoff from their lands into streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
The bay?s blue crab population was being over-harvested, Kaine said, and a three-year moratorium he placed on harvesting resulted in a now-thriving crab population.? Kaine said a few watermen have since told him they?re glad he imposed the moratorium, though they didn?t like it at the time.
?I do accept the science that says human activity is affecting the climate in a significant way,? Kaine said, adding some measures are needed to protect ?the God-given bounty that we count on.??
Source: http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/jul/27/kaine-allen-speak-farm-group-ar-2090560/
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