A Historic Overview of Legislation

For the past 100 years, and at crucial times of crisis throughout U.S. history, the federal government has relied on the estate tax, also referred to as the “death tax,” as a source of government revenue. Conflicting beliefs on both the morality and purpose of taxation in the United States have led to persistent changes to estate tax law that leave the individuals subject to the tax in a constant state of uncertainty and inability to properly plan for the tax.