It's not a tax on death, it's a tax on assets. The fact you can live most of your life with a growing asset that is untaxed (just hold stocks and live off the

It's not a tax on death, it's a tax on assets. The fact you can live most of your life with a growing asset that is untaxed (just hold stocks and live off the dividends, for instance), vs actually having to pay taxes on the value of something is a benefit for the wealthy already. Letting them pass on this tax benefit is ridiculous. Also, if someone buys say an apartment complex, using depreciation for their tax benefit, then dies and leaves it to an heir, the heir generally receives a favorable tax benefit since the asset gets a step-up in cost basis, whereas if the original person sold the asset, they'd have to then pay the taxes from the profit and the depreciation they took over the years. The tax code is already heavily weighted to favor the wealthy, allowing people to amass great wealth without having to contribute it back to society is very short-sighted. Earning money is fine, dying with it is a sin, as someone once said.