Rationale for Estate Tax

While I don't necessarily agree with the rationale proposed in this article for an estate tax on the wealthy, it does do a good job of laying the rationale used by the democrats in Congress. Albeit, with a slanted view.

OMB Watch Article

It is debatable whether or not the reasons used to pass the first estate tax in 1916 are still in place. Similar arguments were used to implement income tax during the Gilded Age in American history.

If you are interested in this area, there is an excellent book called The Great Tax Wars - The Fierce Battles Over Money and Power That Transformed the Nation; by Steven R. Weisman.