ContinuingTheConversation: July 2014

In the July issue of Northern Connection magazine, I “Started the Conversation” regarding the injustice of the Pennsylvania Inheritance tax, also known as, the “death tax” that taxes certain beneficiaries of a will of the deceased. The injustice is due to the fact that the deceased already paid taxes while alive and in many cases, the estate includes property, such as a home, which must be sold to pay for the taxes.

With the help of our reader, Myer Spector, who supplied the following documentation for me, you can see that, once money is made from the sale of property it must be declared as income and taxed accordingly IN ADDITION TO the death tax.

Furthermore, Mr. Spector received the amounts collected from the inheritance tax from the PA House Appropriations Committee that for 2013-2014, PA estimates it received $894.3 MILLION – yes, almost a BILLION in proceeds from the death tax. When this figured is coupled with the fact that according to a new study, Pennsylvania is ranked 5^th among the MOST corrupt states in the nation http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/study-pennsylvania-fifth-in-corruption-1.1703090, it begs the question: How much of these ill-gotten gains are paying for this corruption?

Also, Mr. Spector received two letters from Tom Corbett the current Governor of Pennsylvania. In one letter, prior to becoming governor, Tom Corbett made the campaign promise to repeal the death tax once he became the Governor of Pennsylvania. The second letter is a status report that explains what he has been doing OTHER than repealing the death tax.

The following letters and documentation inserted here for your consideration: