By the Seattle Times Company Editorial Board

May 17, 2005

THE supporters of the death tax portray it as an egalitarian measure that taxes only the rich. But its effect in the real world of business is to squeeze middle-sized companies into selling out to bigger ones.

Consider who is motivated enough to attend the deathtax repeal meeting in Washington, D.C., to ask for final passage of deathtax repeal in the Senate. Not Boeing or Microsoft. Going from here are the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and owners of three businesses: The Seattle Times; Wild Ginger, an Asian restaurant; and GM Nameplate, a local maker of labels and graphics. The GM everyone knows is not there, but a trade association of car dealers is. Qwest is not there, but a little phone company from Niagara, Wis., is. Big agribusiness is not there, but the Farm Bureau is.

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