If anyone has any doubts about the corruption of Congress by
the wealthy they only have to look at the House’s recent repeal of the estate
tax. This tax is only applied to singles
with a net worth over 5 million and couples over 10 million and is only due at
the second death. I would suggest that
taxes are a necessary evil of civilization and that the best of all taxpayers
are those that are both wealthy and dead.
This is a tax that dates back to at least the middle ages, and has
proven to be very efficient down through the ages.
The excuse that these people have worked hard
for their money is in many cases true.
That their children shouldn’t have to work for their money somehow lacks
in logic. This tax captures the capital gains that haven’t been paid and are
next to impossible to calculate over a person’s lifetime. The argument that the tax closes down many
small business’s due to their inability to pay does not hold up to
scrutiny. “The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that only 120 farms and small business,
where at least half the assets are in farm or business assets, had to pay the
estate tax in 2013.”[1] I would suggest that any Congressperson who
voted for the repeal is either not paying attention to their job or has been
bought by those with big money. Check
out how your representative voted and consider this vote the next time you are
able to vote for them.
