A question asked by many American tax payers concerns tax liability and estate taxes. Tax payers want to know if they will be paying an additional amount for estate taxes. There are several mediating factors that determine estate tax liability. The dollar amount of the overall estate, the amount of debt, expenses incurred when settling an estate, and estate deductions must all be considered when figuring the tax liability for any estate. These numbers add up to the gross estate from which the tax payer subtracts debts, expenses, charitable transfers, and spousal transfers to arrive at his net estate. The net estate value is then multiplied by the tax liability rate, 45 percent, to determine the final figure. For example, the 2009 tax exemption is $3,500,000 with a 45 percent rate. If a person has a net estate of $4.5 million he would be allowed to subtract the $3,500,000 exemption from the net value, ($1,000,000), before multiplying by 45 percent, ($450,000).