Wirtschaftspolitisches Forum: Zur Reform der Erbschaftsteuer: Handlungsbedarf nach dem Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts

Of course there are some good reasons to tax inheritances. However, there are many more much better reasons to free bequests from taxes. Taxing legacies reduces incentives to accumulate wealth. Consequently, it lowers the accumulation of capital and the long term perspectives for growth and welfare....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik 2007-09, Vol.56 (3), p.290
Main Authors: Straubhaar, Thomas, Bach, Stefan, Houben, Henriette, Maiterth, Ralf, Schupp, Jürgen, Reil-Held, Anette
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Fiscal policy
Inheritance taxes
Statistical analysis
Studies
Tax reform
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Summary:Of course there are some good reasons to tax inheritances. However, there are many more much better reasons to free bequests from taxes. Taxing legacies reduces incentives to accumulate wealth. Consequently, it lowers the accumulation of capital and the long term perspectives for growth and welfare. The inheritance and gift tax must be reformed fundamentally. Real estate and business property should be appraised according to the income approach. This better captures the real market values. However, assessment procedures might become more complex and controversial. Inheritances in Germany happen only rarely, and mostly consist of relatively small amounts and taxes are currently levied only to less than 10 percent of all cases. To evaluate an inheritance tax reform the economic implications have to be considered.
ISSN:0721-3808
2366-0317