Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has conceded the obvious: Repealing the estate tax will disproportionately help rich people. Less obvious, but equally important, is whom repeal will harm: the many millions of Americans who benefit from charitable gifts that are incentivized by the estate tax.
People make large charitable contributions for a variety of reasons, and Americans are certainly generous. The estate tax, however, creates a strong incentive for the wealthy to give to charity rather than pay the tax.
Leave a Reply