Quote:
Originally Posted by tophcfa
The state and federal government taxes your estate, even though they already taxed it when you earned it.
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Taxes, in general, are MERELY designed to provide revenue for various governments. "Fairness" isn't attempted because it would be impossible to please everyone. Too many people look for logic and "fairness" in the tax system. The system is created by lawmakers that are available and imperfect. Better to just accept taxes as part of modern life.
Estate taxes, the so-called death taxes, are not actually unfair as most would think - but actually in keeping with the VERY American ideal that each generation and each individual should be required to earn THEIR own wealth........not get their wealth HANDED to them on a platter from their parents. The basic HISTORIC principle is that without estate taxes the US would evolve FROM a Democracy into a KINGDOM, like the Old England that the Colonists ran (or sailed) away from. So, Estate or death taxes are basically a good thing that helps INNOVATION and helps the average man keep the KINGS away. There are and have been many schemes implemented by large estates to avoid paying estate taxes. These are all to the benefit of individual families, but to the detriment of American SOCIETY.
Therefore, after you die, if your estate has paid its FAIR share of estate taxes, you can float around in the clouds of heaven playing a harp and feeling GOOD that you left the world a better place.