The Taxation of Capitalistic Bequests

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XIV

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Verena Kley

   Pages 1-9

3. Optimal wealth transfer taxation: a review of existing literature

   • Verena Kley

   Pages 11-41

4. Normative aspects of taxing capitalistic bequests

   • Verena Kley

   Pages 43-66

5. Political-economic aspects of taxing capitalistic bequests

   • Verena Kley

   Pages 67-96

6. Wealth transfer taxation in practice: a descriptive analysis

   • Verena Kley

   Pages 97-108

7. Conclusion

   • Verena Kley

   Pages 109-112

8. Back Matter

   Pages 113-121

   PDF

The taxation of bequests has long been and still is subject to intensive discussions in many industrialized countries. Triggered by these discussions, Verena Kley analyzes the taxation of bequests from economic perspectives, focusing on wealth transfers of very rich individuals. Given empirical findings, bequests of these individuals generate almost the entire revenues from wealth transfer taxation. Due to this, their specific preferences prove to be decisive for the optimal taxation of bequests. The author analyzes normative as well as positive implications for optimal wealth transfer taxation, accounting for a ‚capitalist spirit’ – traditionally associated with the upper tail of the wealth distribution.

• Behavioral Economics
• Inheritance and Trust Management
• OECD Countries
• Optimal Wealth Transfer Taxation
• Political Economics

Dr. Verena Kley earned her doctoral degree from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – University of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg and National Research Center of the Helmholtz Association – under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Berthold U. Wigger. She works as executive assistant to the CFO in a leading DAX company.

Policies and ethics