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Cake day: July 2nd, 2023

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  • I’m specifically talking about very low income families since I am talking about the general pros and cons of applying an inheritance tax to all citizens since we are discussing why the inheritance tax might have been removed in Austria / German. I’m not familiar with international tax law to be more specific about income levels so I’m trying ro cover all bases.

    If a poor family is sharing a car or a family restaurant, it could be very damaging to have to pay tax on these assets if they don’t have savings.

    I understand that this doesn’t apply to families with large assets and I agree that an inheritance tax is generally a good thing when applied progressively.



  • I think this viewpoint assumes that everyone lives independently. A lot of families function as units and they all live and work together. If you inherit post-tax income from a family member, then the money has been fairly taxed regardless of your viewpoint.

    Why should you have to pay the government to inherit your late-parent’s car or business? What happens if you can’t afford to pay the tax?

    For the low income families this can make or break a person’s way of life, for the 1% it is a way of hoarding the world’s wealth and maintain power.


  • For regular people, an inheritance tax is not great. For the ultra-wealthy it should be mandatory.

    Arguments against an inheritance tax:

    • Double taxation: Critics argue that inheritance taxes are a form of double taxation, since the assets being inherited have already been taxed once during the decedent’s lifetime.
    • Hurts small businesses: Family-owned businesses can face hardship if they must be sold off to pay inheritance taxes.
    • Discourages investment: Inheritance taxes can disincentivize people from saving and investing, as they know a portion of their wealth will go to the government.

    Arguments for an inheritance tax:

    • Reduces wealth inequality: Inheritance taxes help to redistribute wealth from the very wealthy to the rest of society, reducing income inequality.
    • Prevents concentration of power: By limiting the ability of wealth to be passed on unchecked, inheritance taxes can help to prevent excessive concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a few families.
    • Source of government revenue: Inheritance taxes can be a significant source of revenue for governments, which can be used to fund social programs and public goods.