What if I think it is unfair? I don't think that death should be a taxable event. A person's estate at death has already been taxed. The decedent should decide where his money goes, not the state. S/he earned it.
Hell, no! It's not fair to take a person's wealth just because they died.
Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy
The guy is dead. He doesn't have wealth any more. Or a pulse.
All that is left is property. And that property is now income to somebody else - his heirs.
And your argument - that his estate should not be taxed because it has already been taxed is wrong on 2 levels. First, if you take it to its logical conclusion, then even a 1% tax is impermissible - because the money has already been taxed, right? It can't be wrong at 60%, but right at 5%. If the tax is impermissible, it is impermissible at both 60% and 0.1%. If the tax is permissible, then we are only arguing over the rate.
Second, money gets taxed twice all the time. It just has to change hands. The $100 in your wallet has already been taxed by the IRS. But if you buy something in the store, the store owner pays income tax on the $100 again. You don't get to decide where that money goes just because you earned it.
The estate tax is really a misnomer - or is at least not properly understood.
It is an income tax on other folks, the beneficiaries. And they did NOT work or invest to earn it. So why not tax it at 60%?
The alternative is me being taxed at a higher rate while I am living and working. I'd rather raise the estate tax than increase the marginal rates.
The time to provide for your family is while you are living, not after you are dead.