Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), together with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), today introduced legislation to ensure that settlements paid to survivors of the Holocaust and their heirs are exempt from Federal income taxes.  Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL).  The Holocaust Survivors’ Tax Fairness Act of 2001 closely mirrors similar legislation that Rep. Nadler introduced in the last Congress.

"Ensuring that Survivors of the Holocaust are not required to pay taxes on settlements -- on money that was plundered from them more than forty years ago, and which only now is rightfully and justly being paid back -- is nothing less than common decency," Rep. Nadler said.  "The United States government should not prosper from the pain and suffering of victims of the Holocaust."

“Bringing a measure of justice to the Holocaust survivors, victims of the greatest tragedy of the past century, continues to be a great struggle.  Holocaust survivors are suffering even further indignation by having to wait years for small, and largely symbolic, restitution. It would be unjust for the U.S. government to take away even a small portion of those already modest funds through taxation,” Rep. Schakowsky said.

Numerous lawsuits in the past few years, attempting to compensate both survivors and their heirs for funds stripped during the Holocaust, have been decided in their favor.  The bill would amend the Income Revenue Code to exempt from gross income taxes, payments received from both foreign and domestic court decisions and laws.

"This nation, and this world, owes it to the survivors of the Holocaust to renew our pledge to honor their sacrifice -- and to do what we can to bring them some measure of justice," Rep. Nadler said.

Representative Nadler has served in Congress since 1992.  He represents the 8th District of New York, which includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn.