The Very Bad Arguments for Killing the Estate Tax

Conservatives and freedom-loving patriots have put forth a number of arguments for repeal of the estate tax. Once premise in the litany of reasons is the very real fact that the estate tax accounts for such a small proportion of overall revenue: a scant one-half of 1%. Another oft-cited reason for abrogation is that taxing a decedent’s estate is fundamentally unfair. An individual working, sweating, and sacrificing during life, continually paying taxes honestly and without quibble, must further suffer the indignity of an additional tax on previously taxed assets.

A fundamentally flawed argument in support of the estate tax is that the practice of taxing estates upon death “is almost as old as recorded history itself.” Appeals to historical precedent, while supportive of the practice, bear little weight in logical discourse. A more general appeal for more stringent estate taxes rests on the ideal of taking from the affluent and giving wealth to lower-income families. Apparent from the success of the current American welfare system, it is almost certain that these additional funds would make a difference in the most deserving communities.

See Derek Thompson, The Very Bad Arguments for Killing the Estate Tax, The Atlantic, November 13, 2017.

Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.