Congratulations on an extremely well-conceived, well-reasoned, and well-written piece!
I couldn't agree more, b-b.
Chris and I both lost our beloved Dads within a couple of weeks time at the end of last year. And we were both designated executors of our Dads' estates. We not only compared notes regarding the loss of the two men who were the greatest influences in our lives, but we also compared notes as to how the state of Pennsylvania profits through its unconstitutional (both state and federal) inheritance tax.
Chris's article in the Trib-Review really encapsulates the obscenity known as the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax, in that the tax defies the uniformity on the same class of subjects clause of the PA Constitution. The tax also smacks of social engineering in that its historical foundation is an attempt to move concentrations of wealth in future generations so as to create, through government dictate, more economic parity. The fourth and fifth amendments to the US Constitution are also assaulted through this tax, since provisions in it come very close to (if not define) unreasonable search and seizure, and the requirement to self-incrimination.
Chris hits all bases in his article. It would be nice if some of our state legislators would read it, and take it to heart. They need not wait for the courts to declare the tax unconstitutional (not that such a logical step is even in the works). A simple repeal is in order. But, being the realists that we are, Chris and I are not holding our mutual breaths awaiting that particular turn of events....yet he is being about as pro-active in this regard as a citizen of the commonwealth can be, having done much research into the subject, and written so eloquently regarding his findings.
joanie-f, Dukie, so sorry to hear about your loss of your Dad. My heartfelt condolences.
joanie-f, you nail the single most egregious thing about inheritance taxation in the above italics, IMHO. Yet hardly anybody ever questions this. Somehow or other, we are conditioned to believe that the idea of social engineering in the name of (somebody's strange idea of) "social justice" is just a dandy thing. At least, we don't bother to object.
But think about it!!! In the first place, what is the basis of the assumption that to run wealth through the hands of politicians serves "social justice" any better than to leave that wealth in private hands -- subject to private decision making and market forces? An heir could invest his inheritance profitably, creating economic opportunities for others beyond himself -- jobs. Or he could squander his inheritance altogether -- which has the same effect.
What I want to know is: Who really owns the inherited property? The decedent's estate? The heir? or the government? The surest test of title is who has the power of conversion of the underlying property. If the government -- federal or state -- can force the conversion -- i.e., the sale -- of property to satisfy a tax lien -- and can set the rate of tax unilaterally, and impose it unequally -- then doesn't the government effectively own it? I mean, they might let you keep a bit of what you thought was yours. And isn't that nice.
Then you've got to wonder -- where is the constitutional authority for the government to treat people differently? I thought we were a system of equal justice under law, not a system of equal results. The government has absolutely zero authority to be in the so-called "social justice" business, which means classifying citizens into groups, advantaging some and disadvantaging others. But the government cannot be in the business of picking winners and losers, and trying to deliver certain outcomes. It's in the "means business," not the "ends business."
Whatta nightmare! Why do we put up with it? Just wondering. All my best, bb.