A curated selection of media and science articles on inheritance, wealth and income inequality, taxation, family business succession and related topics.
principlesReforming inheritance tax systems: Four guiding principles
Inheritance tax systems can play an important role in increasing social equality, yet across the world, these systems often struggle to achieve their intended aims. Étienne Fize, Nicolas Grimprel and Camille Landais outline four key ways in which they can
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Why is it so difficult to tax the rich?
There is a paradox: A great majority of people would benefit from increasing taxes on the rich (and this is particularly true for inheritance taxes), but progressive tax reforms appear to run against what may be called a “tax barrier”
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100% inheritance taxHow 100% inheritance tax rates could feed an inheritance fund for everyone
The authors discuss how a 100% inheritance tax regime may be highly contentious but morally justified. The proceeds could go into a general fund from which something like a universal basic inheritance could be paid. The article underlines how such
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discourseEarned vs. unearned: the German and Austrian discourse on inheritance tax
The authors of this study have evaluated 3573 arguments within the German and Austrian public discourse on inheritance tax. First clear result: he public opinion goes against inheritance taxes. This doesn’t come as a surprise. More insightful are the main and
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inequalityInheritance is key to the concentration of wealth
The paper by Pirmin Fessler and Martin Schürz, both from the Austrian National Bank, argues that, across all euro area countries, inheritance plays a decisive role in defining the relative position of households in the distribution of wealth. Publisher: Australian
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inequalityMore than half of all inheritances and gifts go to the richest ten percent
Recent research from DIW Berlin shows how the wave of inheritances increases absolute wealth inequality and that policymakers should counteract this. German private wealth has more than doubled over the last 20 years, leading to annual inheritance flows around 400
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100% inheritance taxExpropriation? Why 100 percent inheritance tax would be better
The article explores possible justifications for 100 percent inheritance tax. It’s based on the belief that equality of opportunity is not only a social but also a deeply liberal idea. You can not speak about a meritocracy when you have
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inequalityThe smartest way to make the rich pay is NOT a wealth tax
It’s important to ask the wealthy to pay more, as inequality is rising. However, a wealth tax has several drawbacks and complications. Other taxes like an inheritance tax are preferable. It’s shown for the case of the USA how going
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COVIDOECD calls for higher inheritance tax after Covid pandemic
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that warns wealth inequality will rise over the next decade unless death duties also increase. Decades of rising asset prices and a decline in inheritance tax rates globally means there are more
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biasBiased media? Study on how inheritance tax debate is represented in the media
Hendrik Theine and Andrea Grisold from Vienna University analysed 10.000 articles in seven quality media over the last 20 years. They discovered deficits in three core areas when it comes to the coverage of the inheritance tax debate: 1) intensity
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fairnessA hated tax, but a fair one
NO TAX is popular. But one attracts particular venom. Inheritance tax is routinely seen as the least fair by Britons and Americans. This hostility spans income brackets. Indeed, surveys suggest that opposition to inheritance and estate taxes (one levied on
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optimal inheritance tax rateOptimal inheritance tax rate
Scholars estimate the optimal inheritance tax rate to be around 50%–60% or larger. In a 2012 article, Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez find that the optimal inheritance tax rate might be as large as 50%–60%—or even higher for top bequests,
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