Skip to content

Estate, Inheritance and Gift Taxes

All Related Articles

Trump Tax Cuts, Tariffs, and Reconciliation After the 2024 Election

Questions About Tax Cuts, Tariffs, and Reconciliation After the Election

Fiscal pressures are likely to weigh heavily on lawmakers as they craft a tax reform package. That increased pressure could result in well-designed tax reform that prioritizes economic growth, simplicity, and stability, or it could encourage budget gimmicks and economically harmful offsets. Lawmakers should avoid the latter.

8 min read
2024 state estate tax rates and 2024 state inheritance tax rates

Estate and Inheritance Taxes by State, 2024

In addition to the federal estate tax, with a top rate of 40 percent, 12 states and DC impose additional estate taxes, while six states levy inheritance taxes.

7 min read
2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index

2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index

The State Tax Competitiveness Index enables policymakers, taxpayers, and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. While there are many ways to show how much state governments collect in taxes, the Index evaluates how well states structure their tax systems and provides a road map for improvement.

115 min read
International Tax Competitiveness Index 2024 Global Tax Rankings by Country

International Tax Competitiveness Index 2024

While there are many factors that affect a country’s economic performance, taxes play an important role. A well-structured tax code is easy for taxpayers to comply with and can promote economic development while raising sufficient revenue for a government’s priorities.

92 min read
Kamala Harris Tax Plan 2024 Details Analysis

Kamala Harris Tax Plan Ideas: Details and Analysis

On tax policy, Harris carries forward much of President Biden’s FY 2025 budget, including higher taxes aimed at businesses and high earners. She would also further expand the child tax credit (CTC) and various other tax credits and incentives while exempting tips from income tax.  

17 min read
Donald Trump Tax Plan 2024 Details Analysis

Donald Trump Tax Plan Ideas: Details and Analysis

We estimate Trump’s proposed tariffs and partial retaliation from all trading partners would together offset more than two-thirds of the long-run economic benefit of his proposed tax cuts.

12 min read
Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Taxes?

Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Taxes?

While both President Biden and Vice President Harris aim their proposed tax hikes on businesses and high earners, key differences between their tax ideas in the past reveal where Harris may take her tax policy platform in the 2024 campaign.

6 min read
Placing Biden Tax Proposals and Trump Tax Proposals in Historical Context Largest Tax Increase and Largest Tax Hike in History and Largest Tax Decrease and Largest Tax Cut in History

Placing Biden and Trump Tax Proposals in Historical Context

From President Biden calling the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the “largest tax cut in American history,” to former President Trump claiming that Biden “wants to raise your taxes by four times,” the campaign rhetoric on taxes may be sparking some confusion.

5 min read
The High Cost of Wealth Taxes

The High Cost of Wealth Taxes

Many developed countries have repealed their wealth taxes in recent years for a variety of reasons. They raise little revenue, create high administrative costs, and induce an outflow of wealthy individuals and their money. Many policymakers have also recognized that high taxes on capital and wealth damage economic growth.

30 min read
2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act tax law has individual tax cuts expiring in 2025

Why Are the Individual Tax Cuts Expiring?

The TCJA improved the U.S. tax code, but the meandering voyage of its passing and the compromises made to get it into law show the challenges of the legislative process.

6 min read
Estate taxes inheritance taxes and gift taxes in Europe 2024

Estate, Inheritance, and Gift Taxes in Europe, 2024

As tempting as inheritance, estate, and gift taxes might look—especially when the OECD notes them as a way to reduce wealth inequality—their limited capacity to collect revenue and their negative impact on entrepreneurial activity, saving, and work should make policymakers consider their repeal instead of boosting them.

2 min read
Is the Federal Tax Code Progressive and does it Privilege the Rich? US progressive income tax system rich and wealthy fair share tax

Does the Federal Tax Code Privilege the Rich?

The federal income tax drives the tax code’s progressivity. In 2021, taxpayers with higher incomes paid much higher average income tax rates than taxpayers with lower incomes.

4 min read
Considering 2025 tax reform options for 2025, 2026, and beyond for the 2025 tax debate

Considering Tax Reform Options for 2025 (and Beyond)

Given that U.S. debt is roughly the size of our annual economic output, policymakers will face many tough fiscal choices in the coming years. The good news is there are policies that both support a larger economy and avoid adding to the debt.

6 min read