Quote:
Originally posted by taxwonk
Up until now, I've been fairly polite about it. But, since people want to keep pushing the issue and using it as a straw man, let me sugggest that anybosy who truly thinks that the estate tax is socialism is a buffoon and completely ignorant of the principles underlying tax policy as well as socialism.
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No, I'm calling your justification socialist. Your justification is, unless I misunderstand you is:
1) The state creates and enforces property rights. Without the state there would be no property rights.
2) Because the state creates property rights, the state may claim from a person whatever property is wishes.
3) The estate tax claims a reasonable amount of property from a decedent. Because it is less than everything, an amount the state could reasonably take, it is perforce reasonable.
Step 2 is socialism, if not something more than that.
