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The Estate Tax Provision of the 1981 Economic Recovery Tax Act: Which Farmers Benefit?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

J. Lowenberg-DeBoer
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University Department of Economics, Iowa State University
Michael D. Boehlje
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Iowa State University

Abstract

This analysis used simulation to compare the cost of intergenerational transfer of farm estates under the pre-1981 tax rules and the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA) provisions. ERTA reduces transfer costs for almost all the estates considered. Large estates tend to benefit more than small estates if they qualify for use valuation or if they are large enough to be affected by the reduction in tax rates. ERTA does not create new forces for change in U.S. agriculture, but it tends to strengthen the tendency toward larger farm size and favor those who already own farm resources.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 1985

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