Estate Tax
Specific tax · Partially built
Estate Tax
A preview of how the "rate this point" component will work across the site — the full page (history, international comparison, considered-opinion step) is still TBD.
Pros
Reduce multigeneration wealth concentration
Large inherited fortunes let wealth concentrate across generations without anyone earning it, widening inequality over time.
No effect on most families
It only touches the largest estates, so it raises real revenue while leaving the vast majority of families completely untouched.
Cons
Double taxation
The wealth being taxed was often already taxed once as income; taxing it again at death is a second bite of the same apple.
Forced sale of family farms and businesses
Family farms and small businesses can be asset-rich but cash-poor, forcing heirs to sell the business itself just to pay the tax bill.