The Estate Tax

The estate tax has been making the rounds in the press lately. I find the debate to be quite lame. I'd rather not focus on who deserves to be taxed on their death (at what price point), and rather focus on the righteousness of such a tax in the first place.

As in too many debates, people get lost in the details. The estate tax, like the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) because people don't seem to have a problem forcing the wealthy to pay an unfair tax. After all, they have enough money, right?

I'm sorry, but that is where I end the debate. The estate tax is a Communist idea, probably developed by Karl Marx in his "Communist Manifesto." In fact, the concept is plank #3, "Abolition of All Rights of Inheritance."

The principle in and of itself is so un-American, it is surprising that any Americans will stand for it. If the tax were to affect all American families, rather than just the very wealthy, at least it would be intellectually consistent. But, unfortunately, that would also likely completely erode the support of the tax.

I have no problems with wealthy people paying more in taxes than the poor (numerically, not on a rate basis, which is plank number 2 on the Marx hit list), but tax these individuals in ways that are consistent regardless of wealth. You can certainly find a way to make sure that these families pay their "fair share."