Leadership First led by
estate planning attorney Harold Apolinski, AFBI's president since 2004 has been Dick Patten. Patten is a national expert on the estate tax and its effect on family businesses and farms. He often appears in print and broadcast media. Patten is a former family business owner and the activist who filed Initiative 402 to repeal the
Washington State Inheritance and
Gift Taxes. The organization he founded collected approximately 200,000 signatures and Initiative 402 was approved by 72% of
Washington state voters.
Death Tax Repeal Pledge Project On November 2, 2010, American voters elected or re-elected 131 U.S. Senate and House candidates and incumbents who signed AFBI's “Death Tax Repeal Pledge.” Over 500 candidates signed and over 250 of these won their primaries.
American Family Business Foundation In 2008, the
IRS granted 501(c)3 non-profit status to the American Family Business Foundation. The Foundation has published studies about the impact of the
Federal Estate Tax on small business job-creation, federal revenue collection,
wealth concentration and other areas where the estate tax and family business needs intersect. ==References==