Business succession planning continues to be an important theme for business owners and their advisers. The elements are all in place: a growing number of baby boomers who own businesses are reaching retirement age; business values continue to be off their peaks, making the transfer of business interests less expensive; and now, with the passage of last year’s Tax Relief Act (easier to remember than the much longer name of the law), tax law changes have made transfers more tax efficient.

Lower Federal Estate Tax Rate

Several provisions of that new law make succession planning easier. The most basic of these provisions is the lower federal estate tax rate. A flat rate of 35 percent means that even assets that are taxed will be subject to a lower tax. Compare this single rate with the graduated rates there were in effect previously and had reached as high as 55 percent. Along with the steady reduction of the maximum rate since 2001 came a compression of rates into, finally, a single one.

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