Tax Law Blog | IRS Tax Attorneys

The estate tax is simply unfair.  It tells every American that no matter how hard you work or how wisely you manage your affairs, in the end the Federal Government is going to step in and take it away.  The estate tax is double and, in some cases triple taxation, it punishes hard work and savings, and it fails to raise the revenues that could possibly justify the damage it causes.

It has been destroying businesses and ruining lives for four generations. Let us not make this mistake with our children.  End the Death Tax now.

One of the oldest and most common forms of taxation is the taxation of property held by an individual at the time of their death. Such a tax can take the form, among others, of estate tax (a tax levied on the estate before any transfers). An estate tax is a charge upon the decedent’s entire estate, regardless of how it is disbursed. An alternative form of death tax is an inheritance tax (a tax levied on individuals receiving property from the estate). Taxes imposed upon death provide incentive to transfer assets before death.

Gift tax laws are generally designed to prevent complete tax avoidance by this route. The Federal Estate Tax is integrated with the Federal Gift tax so that large estates cannot be shielded from taxation by lifetime giving. Many states also impose an estate tax.
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