Abstract
Taxes on property left by individuals to their heirs are among the oldest forms of taxation. In societies in which property is privately owned, the state protects the property rights of the individual and supervises the transfer from one generation to the next. Consequently, the state has always regarded property transfers as appropriate objects of taxation. However, taxes on bequests and gifts raise very little revenue in modern tax systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Cooper, G. 1979. A voluntary tax? New perspectives on sophisticated estate tax avoidance. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
Meade, J.E. 1976. The structure and reform of direct taxation. Report of a Committee Chaired by Professor J.E. Meade. London: Institute for Fiscal Studies and Allen & Unwin.
Rignano, E. 1924. The social significance of the inheritance tax, Trans. W.J. Schultz. New York: Knopf.
Sandford, C.T., J.R.M. Willis, and D.J. Ironside. 1973. An accessions tax. London: Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Shoup, C. 1966. Federal estate and gift taxes. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
Tait, A.A. 1967. The taxation of personal wealth. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Vickrey, W. 1947. Agenda for progressive taxation. New York: The Ronald Press.
Wedgwood, J. 1929. The economics of inheritance. London: G. Routledge & Sons.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Copyright information
© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Pechman, J.A. (2018). Inheritance Taxes. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_980
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_980
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-95188-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95189-5
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences