There might be nothing worse with the American government right now than the fact the estate tax remains in our tax code.
For those who don’t know, the estate tax, sometimes referred to as a death tax, is a tax placed on certain people’s estates after their death and paid by the heir of the estate. The tax rate can be pushed as high as 40 percent. It is a literal tax on success and death.
I always grew up believing that in America success was to be rewarded and applauded, not taxed into the ground after your parents or grandparents die. You know who else would have loved the idea of an estate tax? Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, and if that murderous communist tyrant is in favor of anything you can feel free to go ahead and count me on the other side.
Some liberals will argue that this tax doesn’t really touch that many people so it’s okay to screw the successful over because God forbid parents are able to pass down what they’ve accumulated over a lifetime of work. Why encourage savings and investing when instead the government can just come and take 40 percent of your stuff after they taxed you your entire life.
Look, I’m not against paying taxes. We need the best military in the world and other important services. However, I find it hard to believe something as embarrassing as the estate tax is necessary to get those things done.
Also, this tax literally destroys lives. If a family has $15 million in assets tied up in real estate or other extremely non-liquid assets they’re still about to get drilled with a massive tax bill that they won’t have the cash to cover.
When this happens surviving family members often are forced to sell off their properties just so they can pay this disgusting tax. Congratulations liberals, you successfully forced that Montana rancher’s kids to sell the family ranch that’s been in the family for generations after their dad’s death. Job well done.
There are two sides in this debate and it’s really simple. There are the communists who support this garbage and then there are freedom-loving Americans who don’t want to steal from families in moments of great distress.
And if you disagree with that or think the estate tax is a genius idea then allow me to quote the wonderful Ari Gold when I say to you, “Get the fuck out!”
I hear the weather in China and North Korea this time of year is lovely. Get on a plane to those paradises and you can enjoy the government controlling your life as much as you’d like.