The Federal Estate Tax


Book Description

A comprehensive and accessible account of the U.S. estate tax, examining its history and evolution, structure and inner workings, and economic consequences. Governments have been levying some form of inheritance tax since the ancient Egyptians did so in the seventh century BC. In the United States, the federal government experimented with various forms of inheritance taxes, settling on an estate tax in 1916 and a gift tax in 1932. Despite this long history, there are few empirical studies of the federal estate tax. This book offers the first comprehensive look at U.S. estate and inheritance taxes, examining their history and evolution, structure and inner workings, and economic consequences. Written by David Joulfaian, a veteran economist at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the book provides accessible accounts of such topics as changes in tax laws, issues of equity, the fiscal contribution of the estate tax, and its behavioral effects. Joulfaian traces the evolution of U.S. inheritance taxes from 1797 to the present, noting that the estate tax rate and base expanded through 1976, then began to decline. He describes the tax itself, explaining that it currently applies to estates and gifts in excess of $11.18 million, and outlines applicable deductions and credits. He sketches a profile of taxpayers and their beneficiaries; surveys the revenues from estate and gift taxes; and discusses the effect of estate taxation on labor decisions, saving and wealth accumulation, charitable giving, life insurance ownership, and other economic activities. Finally, he addresses criticisms of the estate tax and analyzes its shortcomings. Accompanying tables present a wealth of data gathered by Joulfaian in his research and not available elsewhere.










Rethinking Estate and Gift Taxation


Book Description

Although estate and gift taxes raise a small fraction of federal revenues, they have become sources of increasing political controversy. This book is designed to inform the current policy debate and build a conceptual basis for future scholarship. The book contains eleven original studies of estate and gift taxes, along with discussants' comments. The essays provide background and historical information; analyze the optimal taxation of estates and gifts; examine the effects of the tax on charitable contributions, saving behavior, the distribution and level of wealth, tax avoidance and tax evasion; and explore the effects of alternatives to estate taxation.







Death by a Thousand Cuts


Book Description

This fast-paced book by Yale professors Michael Graetz and Ian Shapiro unravels the following mystery: How is it that the estate tax, which has been on the books continuously since 1916 and is paid by only the wealthiest two percent of Americans, was repealed in 2001 with broad bipartisan support? The mystery is all the more striking because the repeal was not done in the dead of night, like a congressional pay raise. It came at the end of a multiyear populist campaign launched by a few individuals, and was heralded by its supporters as a signal achievement for Americans who are committed to the work ethic and the American Dream. Graetz and Shapiro conducted wide-ranging interviews with the relevant players: members of congress, senators, staffers from the key committees and the Bush White House, civil servants, think tank and interest group representatives, and many others. The result is a unique portrait of American politics as viewed through the lens of the death tax repeal saga. Graetz and Shapiro brilliantly illuminate the repeal campaign's many fascinating and unexpected turns--particularly the odd end result whereby the repeal is slated to self-destruct a decade after its passage. They show that the stakes in this fight are exceedingly high; the very survival of the long standing American consensus on progressive taxation is being threatened. Graetz and Shapiro's rich narrative reads more like a political drama than a conventional work of scholarship. Yet every page is suffused by their intimate knowledge of the history of the tax code, the transformation of American conservatism over the past three decades, and the wider political implications of battles over tax policy.







Federal Wealth Transfer Taxes


Book Description

The modern federal wealth transfer tax regime traces back to the Revenue Act of 1916. Today, the federal wealth transfer tax regime consists of three separate taxes: (1) the federal estate tax; (2) the federal gift tax; and (3) the federal generation-skipping transfer tax. All three taxes are excises imposed on the gratuitous transfer of wealth by individuals. Yamamoto and Donaldson's Black Letter Outline on Federal Wealth Transfer Taxes thoroughly covers and explains all three types of federal wealth transfer taxes.




Federal Taxation of Income, Estates, and Gifts


Book Description

Vol. 3 also issed as rev. 3rd ed. ; rev. 3rd edition of other vols. not planned.




Control Your Retirement Destiny


Book Description

"It is a rare pleasure to read a book on personal finance with which I agree completely. Dana Anspach has produced one. I am usually turned off by the chapter on investing, which is typically false and misleading. Investing should always start from the safest strategy to achieve one's goals. Dana Anspach gets it right and expresses it in entertaining prose that anyone can understand and enjoy." —Zvi Bodie, Professor of Economics, Boston University People in their fifties start to wonder: When should I retire? Once I do, when should I take Social Security? Do I need to buy an annuity to make sure I have enough money to last my whole life? Should I move everything into Treasury Bills and other “safe” investments? In short, what do I need to do now to ensure a comfortable retirement in five or ten years? Control Your Retirement Destiny: Achieving Financial Security Before the Big Transition provides practical, how-to knowledge on what you need to do to get your finances in order to prepare for a transition out of the workforce. While never easy, retirement investing in your 20s to your early 50s has been straightforward. But as you get closer to the big event—retirement—it takes a different kind of planning to align investments, retirement accounts, taxes, Social Security, and pension decisions, all for a single objective: providing reliable, life-long income. Control Your Retirement Destiny teaches you how each part works, how one decision affects another, and--most importantly--how to focus on the items you can control rather than on the items you can’t. When you put it all together in a plan that works for you, you’ll have more choices and a greater sense of security about the financial decisions you are making. Transitioning out of work is scary. Control Your Retirement Destiny equips you with the knowledge you’ll need to make sure you’ve thought of everything. When your finances and your future intersect, you’ll be ready. This book: Covers all the major topics in retirement planning—investments, Social Security, annuities, taxes, healthcare, part-time work, and more. Illustrates which items you can control, and how to focus on them. Provides examples of how planning decisions can result in a more secure outcome when they are coordinated. Provides actionable knowledge about important money decisions faced by upcoming retirees. Control Your Retirement Destiny enables you to take charge of your financial future right now to ensure a happy, financially secure retirement. What you’ll learnYou will be able to: Apply an improved and coordinated process to make better financial decisions Focus on items within your control like tax management, risk management, and developing and sticking with a plan Determine how much investment risk you should take Decide if you need guaranteed income, and if so, how to buy it Choose investments that are best suited to meet your future income needs Avoid big retirement planning mistakes Find sources of reliable information Who this book is for Control Your Retirement Destiny: Achieving Financial Security Before the Big Transition is for men and women who are 50-plus, have money in 401(k)s and IRAs and other assets, and are beginning to think about when and how they might transition out of regular, full-time work. They are wondering when to start Social Security, how to choose investments that will provide security, how to account for medical costs and taxes in retirement, and most importantly, how to put all of these things together into a plan that ensures financial security. Readers will be in the top 50% of the population in terms of income and assets, age 50+, do-it-yourself investors, index investors, or investors who aren’t getting the answers they need from their current broker, advisor, or mutual fund company.




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