The Death Tax is coming

Words: Stephen BorgIf Congress does not act by December 31, 2012 the Death Tax will hit thousands more family-owned businesses.

As members of the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) we are asking you to contact your Member of Congress and Senators to urge them to pass legislation addressing the estate tax before the end of the year. Action is urgently needed to prevent the estate tax from saddling thousands of more family-owned businesses with a crippling tax increase.

Current estate tax law that provides for a $5million per person exemption, is indexed for inflation, and provides for spousal portability is set to expire if Congress fails to act. If current law expires, the estate tax would revert back to merely a $1 million exemption not indexed for inflation, with no spousal portability, and a top rate of 55%. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that 13 times more families, 20 times more farms, and 9 times more small businesses will be forced to pay the estate tax under this scenario.

While the MCAA has always supported and continues to support the full repeal of the estate tax, it is imperative that our members contact their Member of Congress to express that at a minimum, current law must be extended.

Congress must act by the end of 2012 to prevent this immense tax increase our nation’s small businesses and families and we urge that you contact your Member of Congress immediately to tell them to act on the Estate Tax. This tax increase would have a massive detrimental impact on our struggling economy and family-owned businesses and your voice must be heard.
About: Legislative
The Behind-the-Wall Secrets Every Mason Already Knows (But Some Ignore)
March 2026

You’ve been around long enough to know this already: stone doesn’t fail on the face; it fails behind the wall. You can lay the prettiest veneer in the county, but if the prep is junk, that wall’s gonna start telling on you after a couple of winters. Manu

Rob McKay
Technical Talks
Read More
From the Mound to the Mortar: Jon Rauch’s Tall Order in the Masonry Industry
March 2026

In the record books of Major League Baseball, Jon Rauch is a literal giant. At 6 feet, 11 inches, he remains the tallest player to ever step onto a Big League mound. But today, the Olympic Gold Medalist and 11-season MLB veteran isn’t looking for a strike

Robert Melgaard
Industry News
Read More
Case Study: The Scoop
March 2026

Leading UK architecture firm, Corstorphine & Wright, has announced the completion of ‘The Scoop’, a unique concave office building in Southwark, London. The innovative design reuses an existing building and integrates a conical cut-out façade in white gla

Case Study
Read More
Executing Color-Driven Designs Without Compromising Craftsmanship
March 2026

On today’s jobsites, masonry contractors are being asked to do more than install manufactured stone veneer (MSV). They’re being asked to interpret design trends and execute them with precision. Homeowners arrive with curated Pinterest boards. Designers r

Jeff Tew
Technical Talks
Read More