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| Reader: Estate tax to benefit non-farm groups, not farmers |
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Dear Farm World,
Regarding the letter-to-the-editor published on July 28, Reasonable estate tax may benefit farmer more than harm (page 5, written by Les Christianson of Ladoga, Ind.), I can think of nothing that justifies any government, agency or person taxing someone’s estate – period.
What right do they have to someone’s lifetime of hard work, worry and dedication just because the person died? None.
As far as public support for the agriculture industry goes, the public has not supported any other American industry – electronics, automobiles, clothes, everything – all gone.
The only industry this public supports is education, welfare and big government.
Agriculture is big business, and young farmers cannot get started without serious financial backing. This is a fact.
The letter-to-the-editor said, “provide avenues for new agricultural talent without massive financial resources to develop as future farmers.”
I understand this to mean, “Steal money from Bob’s estate, and put his heirs out of business. Then, give the money to Bill so he can get started in the business.” And Bill probably never saw a farm operation in his life, anyway.
I have no idea how anyone could actually think that any tax money collected from an agricultural estate would go to help some person get started in the farm business. If anything, it would put most of the smaller, family farms out of business. The next generation, the heirs, would have to sell off property to keep the farm running and pay the tax.
Big corporate farms would probably buy the property and get bigger.
Our government has a way of punishing people who work hard, are frugal and do without in order to build up a business and create a valuable estate.
The system takes money from these people and gives it to a lazy, irresponsible group of deadbeats who do little – or nothing – to support themselves or their country. All they do is reproduce more of the same.
This inheritance tax money will go to fight more hopeless wars, be given to lazy people so they can buy more foreign products, and be given to other countries to help their farmers to raise more products to sell to the people in the United States.
Thank you,
Glenn F. Pugh
Camden, Ohio
P.S.: Both sides of my family came from the farm; I still farm. I’m a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, and I’m retired from General Motors – and that’s another sad story. |
| 8/18/2010 |
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