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Mr. Frank's attitude seems to be that Americans need to justify why they should keep the money they inherit instead of the government needing to justify why they should be allowed to confiscate it. Video at link.

A former Adelaide mayoress left her daughters just $1.50 each from her $3.5 million estate because she believed they plotted to kill her mother. Valmai Roche died last year aged 81 and stated in her will that her daughter's should be left "30 pieces of silver of the lowest denomination" — or 30 five cent pieces, the Adelaide Advertiser reports. Daughters Deborah Hamilton, Fiona Roche and Shauna Roche were also left jewellery from Ms Roche's collection on condition they correctly answered questions relating to their mother's personal diaries. Two of the daughters are challenging the will in the South Australian...

Fiscal Policy: The new year saw the death of the estate tax. But like Freddie Krueger, this epitome of class warfare and wealth redistribution is sure to return to wreak havoc among the living. Once dubbed the "Paris Hilton" tax, the levy is supposed to target the inherited wealth of the super-rich who really didn't earn it or don't really need so much of it. Or so we're told. But at some point, even inherited wealth was created and taxed in its creation. The death tax is double taxation, and just because you can't take it with you doesn't mean...

NCPA Report Shows Inheritances have little effect on Wealth Inequality As Congress continues debate over reduction and possible elimination of the estate tax, a new study from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) undermines the chief argument made by proponents of the tax - that estate taxation prevents the concentration of wealth in the hands of financial dynasties. The report shows that the contribution of inheritances to the distribution of wealth in the U.S. is surprisingly small. "It is commonly assumed that wealthy people inherit much of their wealth," said Jagadeesh Gokhale, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute...

It can be universally agreed upon that those who create wealth are more crucial to a countries economy than those who inherit wealth. It follows that we should substitute as much of the federal income tax possible with taxes taken from inheritance. Like Ben Franklin said, nothing should be certain except for death, taxes and the death tax

  From the Desk of Mark Stephens, Executive Director, NRSCDo you have your wallet handy? Well, you better . . . . . . Let me tell you why.The LCLI (Liberal Cost of Living Increase)Anytime liberal Democrats take the reins of government, the American people must pull out their wallets and pay a price. It's the automatic Liberal Cost of Living Increase - the LCLI. You see it happen at the local level, state level and at the federal level.Americans are feeling the squeeze of rising energy prices and escalating health care costs - but the LCLI will dwarf...

Death and Taxes The House votes to eliminate the inheritance tax. by Irwin M. Stelzer 05/09/2005, Volume 010, Issue 32 SEVERAL YEARS AGO I SUGGESTED in these pages that it would be good conservative policy to raise, rather than lower, inheritance taxes. After all, American conservatives, traditional and neo, believe in a meritocracy in which material success should depend mostly on our own efforts and accomplishments, rather than those of our ancestors. But Congress disagrees. Or at least the House does. It has voted to eliminate inheritance taxes permanently, and the Senate now has to decide whether to go along....

Michael Howard is planning to relieve hundreds of thousands of families of the burden of inheritance tax if the Conservatives win the next election, The Daily Telegraph has learned. The party also hopes to cut stamp duty to help home-buyers and is examining how to cut indirect taxes such as fuel duty. The tax-cutting plans, described as firm "targets" rather than promises, will be unveiled in a "mission statement" at next month's party conference in Bournemouth. Mr Howard hopes the statement, which will argue the "economic and moral case" for tax cuts, will boost Tory support among middle-class voters who...