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which best describes your view of the inheritance tax?

which best describes your view of the inheritance tax?

  • There should be no inheritance tax of any amount of money or assets.

    Votes: 64 50.8%

  • The first 5 million dollars should be exempt. After that the tax rate should be 35%.

    Votes: 20 15.9%

  • The first 5 million dollars should be exempt. After that the tax rate should be 50%.

    Votes: 10 7.9%

  • The first 1 million should be exempt. After that the rate should be 50%.

    Votes: 18 14.3%

  • No exempt amount. Tax at 35% from the get-go.

    Votes: 7 5.6%

  • No exempt amount. Tax at 50% from the get-go.

    Votes: 1 0.8%

  • Abolish all inheritance. In other words, tax 100%.

    Votes: 6 4.8%
  • Total voters
    126
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StillBallin75 said:
Once again, this has nothing to do with the law. The law is irrelevant to this discussion. What I and TD (and I usually HATE agreeing with TD and other assorted righties) are arguing is that INHERITANCE IS NOT INCOME. Meanwhile, the examples you listed a few pages back of your $100 being taxed more than once IS an example of income, and in each instance you gave it was appropriately taxed as such.

I don't believe that it's appropriate or makes much economic sense for the government to assess a tax on WEALTH - which is exactly what the estate tax is. It is a tax on a stock, rather than a flow.
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You are confusing my position. I am NOT saying that inheritance is income under the present law. It clearly is treated differently under its own estate law codes and rates. I was agreeing with the position of Turtle and others that we should abolish the estate taxes and my idea was to simply apply all that new money going into persons pocket or account as INCOME with a new law and apply the appropriate rates.

As to the exchange of value, Turtle keeps insisting this is necessary for taxation and I keep asking where he gets this from.

Thank you for acknowledging that my example of repeated taxation of the same money happens all the time and is right and proper. It matters not if the law sees it as income or ot under the law, the principle is a valid one: the same money is taxed repeatedly under our system and to do so for capital gains or inheritance is no deviation from that principle.
 
liblady said:
Ok, it's not tax on wealth. It's tax on unrealized unrealized appreciation. If you inherit 5 million in stocks, you have to pay taxes on the amount of appreciation from the basis of the stock until the time of inheritance. If this did not occur, wealth could be passed from generation to generation without ever being taxed, which would result in an aristocracy.
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Are you arguing that inheritance = capital gains?
 
liblady said:
Ok, it's not tax on wealth. It's tax on unrealized unrealized appreciation. If you inherit 5 million in stocks, you have to pay taxes on the amount of appreciation from the basis of the stock until the time of inheritance. If this did not occur, wealth could be passed from generation to generation without ever being taxed, which would result in an aristocracy.
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Which is what they want in the first place.
 
liblady said:
Ok, it's not tax on wealth. It's tax on unrealized unrealized appreciation. If you inherit 5 million in stocks, you have to pay taxes on the amount of appreciation from the basis of the stock until the time of inheritance. If this did not occur, wealth could be passed from generation to generation without ever being taxed, which would result in an aristocracy.
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I'm sorry, but being jealous of someone who is financially successful is also ****.
 
ric27 said:
I'm sorry, but being jealous of someone who is financially successful is also ****.
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I don't know what is more loathsome of the two things that motivate this love for the death tax

envy or the belief that the federal government really needs more of our money and deserves it
 
ric27 said:
I'm sorry, but being jealous of someone who is financially successful is also ****.
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Ah - the right wing version of the RACE CARD coming into play as the ever useful last resort trump card. Only with you folks it is the ENVY CARD. When you have nothing left, its always the ace up your sleeve. Although it actually is just a two and not the ace you think it is.
 
haymarket said:
Ah - the right wing version of the RACE CARD coming into play as the ever useful last resort trump card. Only with you folks it is the ENVY CARD. When you have nothing left, its always the ace up your sleeve. Although it actually is just a two and not the ace you think it is.
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If someone works hard for their income they should be entitled to have at least a control over where it goes. **** government and **** their liberal-ass "give us your money because we can't trust you to do the right thing" mentality.
 
TurtleDude said:
I don't know what is more loathsome of the two things that motivate this love for the death tax

envy or the belief that the federal government really needs more of our money and deserves it
Click to expand...

And another right winger plays the ENVY CARD is a desperate attempt to shift gears and hide from their own empty allegations and unsubstantiated claims.
 
ric27 said:
If someone works hard for their income they should be entitled to have at least a control over where it goes. **** government and **** their liberal-ass "give us your money because we can't trust you to do the right thing" mentality.
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Nobody is saying you cannot control where your estate goes. Where are you getting such a claim from?
 
haymarket said:
And another right winger plays the ENVY CARD is a desperate attempt to shift gears and hide from their own empty allegations and unsubstantiated claims.
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when people make comments about violins, or silken diapers or comments like the rich will just have to buy one less yacht and stuff like that =that is pretty much text book symptoms of envy or spite

But I believe the love of more government and the almost faith based belief that the government both needs and deserves more money taken from us citizens is the other main motivation
 
TurtleDude said:
when people make comments about violins, or silken diapers or comments like the rich will just have to buy one less yacht and stuff like that =that is pretty much text book symptoms of envy or spite

But I believe the love of more government and the almost faith based belief that the government both needs and deserves more money taken from us citizens is the other main motivation
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Again with the playing of the ENVY CARD. It pretty much shows you have run out of any actual argument to make.
 
haymarket said:
Again with the playing of the ENVY CARD. It pretty much shows you have run out of any actual argument to make.
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It obviously fits many of the arguments advanced in favor of the death tax or any other increased taxes on the most industrious and most productive taxpayers
 
haymarket said:
Nobody is saying you cannot control where your estate goes. Where are you getting such a claim from?
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Its called calling a spade a spade.

I have no issue with someone keeping their own money, its theirs and they earned it.

Anyone that says this is an issue of needing higher taxes on the 'rich' is a moron and should immediately be excluded from the debate.
 
TurtleDude said:
It obviously fits many of the arguments advanced in favor of the death tax or any other increased taxes on the most industrious and most productive taxpayers
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Playing the ENVY CARD indicates an intellectual inability to actually discuss the issue without resorting to the mentality of the high school girl who whines
"don't hate me because I'm beautiful."
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Its a self given compliment intended to boost your own ego while insulting the motives of those you are unable to actually defeat with any reasonable argument. Playing the ENVY CARD is the opposite of debate.
 
Last edited:
All taxes are offensive. However, it seems to be what is. We could just be tax-free and allow the Government to print up what they need. But for some reason, that doesn't seem to be the reality of our present universe.

So, if we accept that taxes are necessary, or not necessary but a fact of life, this discussion is on a very specific portion of taxation, i.e. The Inheritance Tax.

To me, it's bizarre that this is an emotional issue for so many people. This tax only affects those with large estates. The IRS has provisions for payoff on farm and business inheritances. Personally, I think it's a perfectly acceptable tax and it won't affect me at all: a) I'll be dead and b) my estate will maybe be valued at $1.5M so no tax will be due. If the Inheritance Tax were eliminated tomorrow I would still be dead.

We used to have, and still do, have an aristocracy in America. Despite these high taxes, the heirs of the uber-rich still get plenty of free money and/or the uber-rich use generation skipping techniques', charitable donations and gifting to minimize this tax.

There are a lot of other taxes that should really upset people, like sales tax, phone tax etc. and nobody ever mentions them. Why do you suppose that is? These taxes claw at you every day, even if you're dead broke.
 
haymarket said:
ASll it indicates is an intellectual inability to actually discuss the issue without resorting to the mentality of the high school girl who whines Its a self given compliment intended to boost your own ego while insulting the motives of those you are unable to actually defeat with any reasonable argument. Playing the ENVY CARD is the opposite of debate.
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envy is clearly a major component behind the death tax and the attitudes of those who defend it

but not the only one as I have noted

some think the government really deserves and needs more money. as I noted, I cannot tell which motivation is more loathsome
 
specklebang said:
All taxes are offensive. However, it seems to be what is. We could just be tax-free and allow the Government to print up what they need. But for some reason, that doesn't seem to be the reality of our present universe.

So, if we accept that taxes are necessary, or not necessary but a fact of life, this discussion is on a very specific portion of taxation, i.e. The Inheritance Tax.

To me, it's bizarre that this is an emotional issue for so many people. This tax only affects those with large estates. The IRS has provisions for payoff on farm and business inheritances. Personally, I think it's a perfectly acceptable tax and it won't affect me at all: a) I'll be dead and b) my estate will maybe be valued at $1.5M so no tax will be due. If the Inheritance Tax were eliminated tomorrow I would still be dead.

We used to have, and still do, have an aristocracy in America. Despite these high taxes, the heirs of the uber-rich still get plenty of free money and/or the uber-rich use generation skipping techniques', charitable donations and gifting to minimize this tax.

There are a lot of other taxes that should really upset people, like sales tax, phone tax etc. and nobody ever mentions them. Why do you suppose that is? These taxes claw at you every day, even if you're dead broke.
Click to expand...

so you think that perhaps half of what you earn and pay taxes on along the way should be taken by the government? sorry, the "it only applies to some" is not a valid argument to me.

are you in any danger of paying a death tax?
 
TurtleDude said:
envy is clearly a major component behind the death tax and the attitudes of those who defend it

but not the only one as I have noted
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Just because you are not the only one guilty of playing the ENVY CARD does not make it any less despicable.
 
haymarket said:
Just because you are not the only one guilty of playing the ENVY CARD does not make it any less despicable.
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I play no envy card-I make accurate comments about what motivates the sick love for the death tax
 
TurtleDude said:
I play no envy card-I make accurate comments about what motivates the sick love for the death tax
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You have repeatedly shown you are unable to discuss this topic without resorting to playing the ENVY CARD to personally attack those who take a different position that you do. And you continue to do it again this evening.
 
haymarket said:
You have repeatedly shown you are unable to discuss this topic without resorting to playing the ENVY CARD to personally attack those who take a different position that you do. And you continue to do it again this evening.
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That is akin to claiming I cannot discuss the causes of the Second World War without mentioning the Bombing of PPearl Harbor or the Civil war without talking about slavery.
 
TurtleDude said:
That is akin to claiming I cannot discuss the causes of the Second World War without mentioning the Bombing of PPearl Harbor or the Civil war without talking about slavery.
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That is both silly and irrelevant.

The bombing of Pear Harbor is a fact of the historical record. Your accusation of ENVY is your own personal belief based on your own self accepted belief system. Unless somebody states that they envy the wealthy, you are merely whistling in the dark and engaging in speculation and congratulating yourself at the same time in a self serving gesture of ego gratification. The same with the Civil war and slavery.
 
Do internet forums cause mental disturbance or simply attract the mentally disturbed?
 
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