There is a dedicated section of the Wall Street Journal today focusing on the estate tax and what Congress should do.
The central argument against the estate tax is that your loved ones should be able to receive what you have already earned and paid numerous levels of tax on.
The counterargument follows along the lines that it disincentivizes working, the wealthiest taxpayers tend to find methods to reduce income tax greatly, and of course the government needs the revenue.
I see both sides of the coin but confess that from a fairness point of view, given that it’s been earned and taxed already, why do taxpayers need to keep paying tax again on the same money that’s already been taxed?
How many times do you have to work for the same dollar?