"Then why are the Ultra Rich Gates and Buffett so in favor of the Estate Tax...is it because they have so much money they can pay what tax they feel adequate"
Also, they can shelter their estates away to minimize the tax benefit. Mr. Buffett will be realizing a huge tax benefit with his donation to the Gates Foundation when he could have waited until death and paid the tax. Like many liberals, they want to dictate what they believe is right "not giving someone an unfair advantage", rather than let each individual decide what is right for themselves. I think it is great that he is giving his wealth to charity rather than the government. I believe that Buffett just wants the govt to take individuals' estates so everyone is equal (financially). However, this doesn't apply to him since he is giving it to charity. I believe that three of the charities are run by his children where I presume they make a salary off of the administration) and he will receive the tax benefit.
However, isn't a family business suppose to stay in the family.