Dementia Taxes

It seems as though it is becoming something of a social faux pas to admit to wanting to leave an inheritance to children. The newest mantra taken up by liberal economists and policy makers is the idea that passing on hard-earned and already-taxed assets to loved ones is among the great inequities of the day. This ideal is embodied in the recent “dementia tax.” Proponents advocate for a policy that would require a tax on those selfish individuals who did not have the decency to expire through an equitable and timely method. Such polices are fresh examples of a government failing to recognize the motivation of voters. The instinct to benefit loved ones after death is felt by rich and poor alike, and it is the part of the engine that drives continued social progress.

See Robert Shrimsley, Dementia Taxes and the Cursed Cult of Inheritance, Financial Times, May 24, 2017.

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.