Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

Because estate tax proceeds were divvied up among the rest of the population?


This tax change is driving the country further and further into the red, and there is no productive purpose served by it.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

You're talking about a GOP plan to make it easier for really rich people to give lots of money to people who've done nothing to earn it, and the worst thing you can say about it is that it's disingenuous? I don't disagree, but please. And the money involved could solve the Social Secuity budget issues that Republicans pretend to care about when they see a chance to take benefits away from the poor and middle class.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

Look, we're just not going to agree on this, and there hasn't been enough time elasped since our last death tax debate, so I'm going to stop right here.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

Why isn't it both? You have a bunch of irresponsible conservatives (oops, that's redudant) who have created a massive budget deficit once again proposing to cut taxes without any idea how to pay for it.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

No, because the main rationale for taxing it is essentially that the recipient never "earned it" so he or she should have to pay some more to the piper.

I'd like to see the numbers as to the effects. With all the estate planning devices out there, I doubt this has a very big effect. I never thought I'd say this, but where's fringey when you need her?

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

I doubt that we'll agree, and I also doubt that you can ever put forward some sort of moral theory that explains why rich kids should have the "right" to get huge sums of unearned money. The sorts of theories (John Locke, anyone?) underlying property rights don't justify it. The subject is more bound up in our feelings about death.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

How about ranchers?

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

From the column I linked above:

• ...because the wealthy have gotten wealthier over the past three decades or so, the estate tax produces a lot of money. Counting both revenue losses and added interest costs, complete repeal of the estate tax would cost the government close to $1 trillion between 2012 and 2021, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

Because the DEMs would oppose it even if we were in the black.

I agree that the GOP is a joke when it comes to fiscal policy. Only question I have is whether the DEMs (sans Clinton) would be any better.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

So what? We're not in the black, so that's an academic point.

Over the last fifty years, the Democrats have been much better. It's not even close.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

I think I could, based on the rights of the owner, but more importantly, what is the moral theory justifying the government's rights to a portion of the money?

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

I saw that, but it doesn't sound right to me. What is that Center?

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

The owner is dead. That was my bilmore point.

And we were talking about the recipients' "rights" because you invoked property rights. The government's right to the money derives from the consent of the governed and the legitimacy of the legislation and process under which the money is taxed. Being adults, we understand that in order to have a government, we have to pay taxes.

Death Tax Relief for America's Farmers. All 50 of them. The rest? Bonus!
 

That "study" ignores the other co-equal branch of government.

Google is a wonderful thing.
 

• The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.
  
  The Center conducts research and analysis to inform public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that the needs of low-income families and individuals are considered in these debates. We also develop policy options to alleviate poverty, particularly among working families.
  
  In addition, the Center examines the short- and long-term impacts that proposed policies would have on the health of the economy and on the soundness of federal and state budgets. Among the issues we explore are whether federal and state governments are fiscally sound and have sufficient revenue to address critical priorities, both for low-income populations and for the nation as a whole.
  
  Over the past two decades, the Center has gained a reputation for producing materials that are balanced, authoritative, accessible to non-specialists, and responsive to issues currently before the country. Our materials are used by policymakers and non-profit organizations across the political spectrum, as well as by journalists from a variety of media outlets.

linky