The legislature finds that it takes the department of revenue a year or more to process estate tax documents, leaving many surviving spouses and children of the deceased unable to find closure over the loss of a loved one, thus delaying the healing process by a year or more. The legislature further finds that this area of taxation is one where it is difficult to recruit and maintain adequate staffing levels to process estate tax documents in a timely manner. In order to address these concerns, the legislature determines it is in the best interest of the state and surviving spouses and children of deceased individuals to eliminate the tax on estates.
This act applies to estates of decedents dying on or after August 1, 2021.