Just wealth transfer taxation

This article examines John Stuart Mill’s influential proposal of how to tax wealth transfers. According to Mill, every person should be free to bequeath but not to receive bequest. Mill proposed an upper limit on how much each person could receive from wealth transfers. We discuss three objections a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Politics, philosophy & economics philosophy & economics, 2018-08, Vol.17 (3), p.317-335
Main Authors: Cappelen Cornelius, Pedersen, Jørgen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Freedoms
Incentives
Private property
Property rights
Taxation
Wealth
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article examines John Stuart Mill’s influential proposal of how to tax wealth transfers. According to Mill, every person should be free to bequeath but not to receive bequest. Mill proposed an upper limit on how much each person could receive from wealth transfers. We discuss three objections against this proposal. The nonseparability objection holds that it is not possible to separate the freedom to give from the freedom to receive. The objection from private property holds that private property includes an unlimited right to dispose of one’s assets and that this right is violated under Mill’s scheme. The objection from incentives holds that Mill’s scheme would have negative effects on people’s willingness to work and save. We argue that these objections can be met and that taxing bequeathed wealth according to Mill’s scheme is more just and more efficient compared to systems that rely less on wealth transfer taxation.
ISSN:1470-594X
1741-3060
DOI:10.1177/1470594X18762253