Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

> To head off the main critique. I think either tax could be equally gamed by the rich.

That is not the main critique. The main critique (IMO at least) is that people earn money to, among other things, give it to their children. Taxing that is, in some people's view of the world, a) a disincentive to work and b) morally wrong.




To borrow and paraphrase Bertrand Russell's argument on the topic:

Why do we see inherited titles as plainly unjust and undemocratic, but entertain inherited fortunes as just and compatible with democratic ideals?


It is incompatible with our human rights to eliminate inherited fortunes. The only way we can achieve that goal is by separating children from their parents from birth and letting them live in randomly chosen boarding schools until they become adults and even then we must forbid them from ever meeting their parents lest they inherit an unfair advantage. There is also a technical limitation: Children always inherit the DNA of their parents so even with the utmost care it is inherently impossible to correct this injustice.

By the way there is a reason why my answer is so extreme: inheritance starts as soon as you are born, not just when your parents die




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: