Want to tax the rich? Start with the dead.

The rich are dying to avoid taxation.

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August 24, 2026 4:15pm EDT

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Taxing the rich: Popular idea! But not all taxes are created equal — some target the top wage-earners, others tax assets like houses and cars and art collections, still others target investment gains. If taxing the ultra-wealthy sounds appealing to you, Vox’s Eric Levitz suggests one simple target: Dead billionaires. The US gives up hundreds of billions of dollars in tax revenue by letting the rich hoard investments indefinitely without paying taxes, then passing them onto their heirs and restarting the clock. A simple tweak might be the easiest way to collect the most revenue with the least disruption — and might even encourage billionaires to invest their money more effectively while they’re still around.

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—Benjy Sarlin, senior editor, politics, policy, and ideas