Pittsburgh builders join national effort to eliminate federal 'death taxes'; many feel inheritance tax is grossly unfair.(Special Report: Insurance and Employee Benefits)

Small business owners across the country are starting a letter-writing campaign designed to overturn what they call America's "death tax."

Put into place in its present form more than two decades ago, estate taxes are being hailed by a wide variety of entrepreneurs as the source of many failures.

One of the leading groups taking a stand on the issue is contractors, led by the Associated General Contractors of America.

The Washington, D.C.-based organization is backing five bills before Congress trying to drastically reform or eliminate legislation allowing the federal government to tax assets being passed from one generation to another after the time of death.

"This form of death tax has been around …