Should the current estate tax rate be decreased?

No, and increase it at a progressive rate

No

No, I am satisfied with the current rate

Not sufficiently well-informed to make a judgement.

Yes, and we should eliminate it because it hurts farmers and their families who don’t have the money to pay taxes on such large properties once the owner dies.

No, it should mirror a progressive tax equivalent to both the deceased and the inheritant’s respective incomes.

Yes, but only for people who live in the house they own. People who own multiple residences should have increased taxes.

Yes, the tax system is too convoluted and a flat wealth tax should be considered as opposed to several different tax types

Inheritance of anything other than real estate should be banned in order to limit the cycles of generational wealth and poverty. When they die, a person's assets should be reclaimed by the government and placed into the Universal Basic Income fund.

Make all land public

it should progressively increase as the value of the estate grows higher. (small estate - no tax, medium - 10 to 20 percent - large, up to 45 percent

No, not until we reduce our national deficit

Yes, but slightly enough so that it's an agreeable amount.

No. It only applies to estates over $5 million and then is only calculated on the amount over that numbers. Extremely few Americans have to worry about it and the ones who do can easily afford it by purchasing a life insurance policy.

Yes, but only for estates worth less than 5 million, as such a tax would more likely than not be an added burden on the middle and lower classes.

The estate tax should be decreased, I think it´s absurd to tax the person receiving the house out of inheritance 40%, but I don´t think we should get rid of it completely.

Whether the current estate tax rate should be decreased is a complex and highly debated issue, with no single consensus. The debate centers on competing arguments about economic growth, fairness, wealth inequality, and the tax's effect on small businesses and farms. The issue has gained new relevance due to the temporary increase in the tax exemption under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which is set to expire after 2025.
Current estate tax details
For 2025, the estate tax rate is 40% on estates valued above the exemption amount.
Individual exemption: $13.99 million.
Married…  Read more couple exemption: $27.98 million.
Low affected population: Due to the high exemption, the estate tax affects only a tiny fraction of the wealthiest Americans—about 0.1% of decedents in 2022.
Arguments for decreasing the estate tax rate
Proponents of decreasing the estate tax, often referring to it as the "death tax," argue that the tax is unfair and harms the economy.
Discourages savings and investment: Critics argue the tax encourages the wealthy to spend rather than save and invest, reducing the nation's overall capital stock.
"Double taxation": Opponents argue the estate tax is unfair because it taxes assets that were already subject to income taxes during the deceased's lifetime.
Threat to family businesses and farms: One of the most common arguments is that the estate tax places a heavy financial burden on family-run businesses and farms with illiquid assets, potentially forcing heirs to sell the enterprise to pay the tax. However, special provisions in the law are designed to help these businesses.
High compliance costs: Some critics contend that the cost of complying with complex estate tax rules and using sophisticated strategies to avoid it is disproportionately high.
Low revenue generator: The estate tax generates a relatively small amount of federal revenue—less than 1% of total federal revenue.
Arguments against decreasing the estate tax rate
Supporters of maintaining or increasing the estate tax emphasize

The estate tax should not be drastically decreased, but exemptions should exist to protect middle-class families while maintaining funding and limiting wealth inequality

Yes, and we should eliminate all taxation but, we should redistribute all capitalist assets to offset the effects.

This is outdated data so it is hard to decide: 40% is a lot, no matter the bracket. Lowering the percentage and lowering the threshold to 3.5 million Makes the most sense. 3.5 million does not seem like a lot these days.

No, it should mirror a progressive tax rate based on the wealth of the deceased and the wealth of the inheritor.

I think that real estate taxes should be increased for private equity firms and anyone who owns more than three individual properties or more than 10 individual rental units. Those with fewer than those requirements should have their taxes lowed

Yes, but only for people whose estates are valued at less than 2 million. Raise it for above 5 million, and keep it the same for 2-5 million

estate taxes should be set in tax brackets like income, but depend on the income of the inheritant IF they choose to claim the estate

Ban Private Land Ownership, and allow the items (Except for funds) anyone deceased has owned to be given to the inheritors in their will. Also make final wills required.

It should be decided by the person should they write a will. Otherwise, should be a consistent but not so high rate.

If the money inherited was already subjected to taxes, no further tax should be paid on it. There are too many loopholes that savvy heirs can use to get out of paying the taxes, and that makes it unfair to people who inherit smaller amounts. It could also be taxed progressively for amounts over a standard minimum allowed.

Yes, because those whose loved ones died should keep ALL the money they inherited from said deceased loved ones.

Inheritance should not be taxed, but there should also be no such thing as "step-up basis." When income is realized, that income should be taxed equal to any other income.

The estate tax should only hit estates over $100,000 with an exception for single home estates (only the land and house).

Estate taxes should be decreased for first-time buyers. The size of the property size should help determine the cost of tax & dues needed to pay, and increase for those that aim to use property as a way of investment such as BlackRock and real estate firms that hike up prices and purchase affordable housing.

In should be in the middle for taxes

Depends on how huge it is.

Change the income tax brackets to make it fair

Increase on property over 2x the National net worth. Eliminate for all others.

Decrease for lower income increase progressively for higher income

The estate tax should be broken similarly to tax brackets. The taxes taken from these people, however, should be exclusively put into public welfare.

Not enough knowledge on the subject matter to give an informed response

Not well enough informed to decide.

Yes, reduce the estate tax rate to 28%

Implement a Land Value Tax

There should be no tax on estate unless it's for sell

Decrease for the lower and middle class and increase for the higher class.

Not enough knowledge to have a clear opinion

Yes, it should be taxed as income, at a flat rate.

No, but the threshold should be raised.

This is a very complicated issue that I'm not qualified to have an opinion on

Estate taxes should be same for wealthy but should be reduced a little bit for average individual in order to create equality.

only a tiny bit but so the government still is ok

It should be based on the profit-making ability of the estate, not it's overall value. Whether that would be more or less, will vary.

Abolish taxation!! Taxation is theft!!

Do not know enough about the issue.

No, but increase the amount people can transfer to families before they are taxed.

There is no point in having an estate tax when all you gave to do is set up a trust and your estate is totally shielded from taxes.

Yes, and it should be eliminated outright as the monies left behind are already taxed so this is nothing more than a double-dip.

It should be abolished completely

Increase at a highly progressive rate and adopt socialist policies

No, abolish private property and wealth accumulation

it should be completely eliminated

Yes, after we get the deficit under control.

Yes, but only for the wealthy

Depends on the state.

Yes, but decrease it at a progressive rate

No, but I would prefer to reform it into an inheritance tax.

It depends. If the person is with one home then I can see it is decreasing, but if this person has many estates then they should not decrease it.

it should be adjusted on a case by case basis, If your parents die and you inherit a 1.2 million dollar house but you make minimum wage you should have a chance to get your parents house.

Decrease it for people whose estates are less than 3 million, keep it the same for 3-5 million, and increase progressively for estates above 5 million dollars

No, the estate tax should not be decreased because it affects only the wealthiest estates, and serves an important purpose in reducing wealth inequality and funding public services. However, I understand concerns about small family farms or businesses and believe targeted exemptions or protections could be built in to avoid unintended hardship.

Yes, overall it should be decreased and there should not be a flat rate. We should instead have a progressive estate tax based on the value of the estate. I propose: small estate - no tax, medium - 10 to 20 percent - large, up to 45 percent. Farmers should be entirely exempt from the estate tax.

Rick folk with multiple houses tax estate should be increased but people/families that have a singular home should be decreased

No, have it set at a progressive rate but have specific funds that are not taxed but can only be used on specific things such as a house or a car or college.

No, but we need a system to make these big companies and ultra wealthy families pay their fair share and help redistribute that wealth downwards

The tax should be relative to the amount of taxes they paid in life and the income they earned as a whole.

Every person must be housed by the state, but every additional estate should be heavily taxed to help the state house everyone

Taxation should never be forced. Donations should be common sense to reap the benefits of the community you serve.

It should be increased for those who are very wealthy but stay the same for everyone else or even decrease

Yes, and we should eliminate it but only if the person/people in line for the money is/are working, and if not it should be increased severely

No, and the entire taxation of assets at death system needs to be reformed to prevent wealth carrying over 4+ generations

yes, we need to make a luxury tax for luxury assets, that's what the tax bracket should be post mortem, so we don't bankrupt poor families, and also so that the rich elite don't inherent 15 yachts for nothing

No, and increase it to 95% to prevent generational wealth that hurts the economy by creating decadence

Yes, we should decrease overall(average), but raise significantly for very luxurious estates such as those worth more than 50 million USD.

It’s double or triple taxation. Just have high sales tax for luxury items instead and do away with all other tax.

Eliminate the estate tax for all assets/income which have already been taxed. For all assets which have not been taxed, they should be taxed at the time the asset changed hands.

We need to decrease it, but we also need to look at our tax rates on the whole to see where we can really improve revenue for the things we need to pay for as WE THE PEOPLE.

But also get our budgets more in balance/aligned with benefitting citizens & our future.

Remove it in favor of taxes that target the rich in more efficient ways during their lifetime and protecting the family from added stress after their family member already has died.

No, I am satisfied with the current rate. But also I don't quite understand the question so I'll just say that I side with the Opponents of the Tax.

No, make it progressive from 1mil and in the case of property have it payable at sale so inheritors can live in the property as the primary residence if they wish to without the immediate tax burden.

Create a bracket system whereby those of large and larger estates are taxed more than those with average or smaller estates.

The government shouldn't need to lower or increase taxes, simply spend them better such a not investing so much into military. There are places in the world with much higher tax rates and yet people are happy there because of the great benefits.

The death tax should be adjusted for inflation every year, and be based on how much each recipient receives, not the total value of the estate.

No, after a 6 figure exemption, it should be raised to 65%, so that anything over $999,999 is taxed at 65%.

No, but you have to actually use your "estate" to not have it handed over to Comrade Cletus or Comrade Tyrone.

No, the rate should not be decreased and the threshold of $5.45M should be decreased. This question should be clarified for the average reader.

It should be only for people who really need it. There is a housing problem in the US, and this will only make it worse.

It should be decreased for people that only own one home that is under 700k and it should be increased for people that have homes that cost over 2 million.