Debate

As i see it there is nothing wrong with an estate tax. it is not like they take all of your money just some of it. Your family still gets to get 2 million untaxed and then taxes apply. the money is taxed exclusively for education and only applies for roughly 250 wealthy households. therefore obviously it does not effect you or me. we only stand to benefit. since it goes to education it indirectly benefits us. why should 250 households get tax relief when ultimately public education would suffer. The common citizens would end up getting a tax increase while 250 household get a tax break. hardly fair don't you think. we have a social and moral responsibility to make sure everyone has a decent education and if 250 household have to spend a portions their millions for social good is that really all that bad. granted they lose some money but they still are gonna be rich. tell me what you think.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

My response is as follows:

You must be kidding me!? Sure fact... "is not like they take all of your money just some of it." That's easy if your inheritance is tangible like cash, stocks or bonds. What if you inherit a family business or a real estate portfolio, those things aren't tangible. Many families have invested every penny and bit of their sweat into running a successful business. Hypothetically, let's say my parents die and I happen to inherit the business. But guess what, the government is going to make me sell the business at a loss to some multinational corporation because I have to cough up this so-called estate tax. My family had worked their lives for nothing.

Further, just because this may not affect you shouldn't be a good reason to forget about morals. Another hypothetical situation:

My parents made some money and paid taxes on that money. (That's fair).

Then in event of their death...

The government comes and tries to steal more money... guess what... it's because they became deceased.

Where's the moral in stealing money from someone whose already suffering from the death of loved ones.

Double taxation in general isn't fair. Where's the American ideal of capitalism and free market??? Double taxation just leads us closer to a socialist society.

There are other ways to raise money for public education. Government funds are being abused daily. Besides, public education isn't in any trouble. Since that is an unrelated issue, it will not be discussed in this forum.

Money isn't the real issue. It's the principles of the estate tax that deeply terrorizes me.

-Adrian