re:  Our view on death and taxes: Loopy estate tax policy highlights D.C. dysfunction

Regarding the estate tax, the editorialists of the USA Today assert that "It makes sense to tax inherited wealth, derived simply by having the right parents, at a higher rate than money acquired through hard work or investment" and that it doesn't impose on the deceased person because "heirs are the ones still alive to feel its effects."

This attitude ignores the property rights of the person leaving behind an estate.  Whether it is a farm, business, property, or cold hard cash, a person spends his lifetime accumulating property — after paying taxes on profits, income, property, transactions, dividends, and interest.  To not allow a person to leave behind his property to the person of his choosing without government confiscation is nothing more than legalized plunder.  Property does not belong to the government, it belongs to individuals who should be allowed to leave it to whomever they want without government interference.

It is laughable for advocates of the estate tax to throw up the smokescreen of "lost revenue".  President Obama's proposed 2011 budget is $3.69 trillion; the amount brought in by the estate tax is only approximately $15 billion — less than half a percent, enough to run the federal government for about a day and a half.  Finding that money without raising taxes on anyone — rich or poor — should not be a problem.

The editorial board does get one thing right:  rich and poor alike  "are entitled to a rational, predictable tax system"; add to that one that is fair, reasonable, and just.  Ending the estate tax permanently would meet all of those criteria.

Sincerely,
Dave Smith
Houston, TX