Considering Alternatives: Are there Methods Other than the Estate and Gift Tax that Could Better Address Problems Associated with Wealth Concentration?

This Commentary analyzes three articles generated from the Symposium “The Centennial of the Estate and Gift Tax: Perspectives and Recommendations,” held on October 2, 2015 at Boston College Law School. This Commentary explores the underlying purpose of the estate and gift tax: eliminating wealth inequality. It then considers the three articles’ proposed alternative tax systems—namely an accession tax and a wealth tax—that could more adequately address the problem of wealth concentration, and evaluates the merits of each.