How do the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes work? Q.How do the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes work? A.The federal estate tax applies to the transfer of property at death. The gift tax applies to transfers made while a person is living. The generation-skipping transfer tax is an additional tax on a transfer of property that skips a generation. Read more about How do the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes work?
Who pays the estate tax? Q.Who pays the estate tax? A.The top 10 percent of income earners pays more than 90 percent of the tax, with nearly 40 percent paid by the richest 0.1 percent. Few farms or family businesses pay the tax. Read more about Who pays the estate tax?
What is the difference between carryover basis and a step-up in basis? Q.What is the difference between carryover basis and a step-up in basis? A.The difference is whether heirs who sell an inherited asset will pay tax on the capital gains from the time the asset was originally purchased or from the time it was inherited. In some cases, the difference is a lot of tax liability. Read more about What is the difference between carryover basis and a step-up in basis?
