People ought to be able to enjoy the wealth they&#x27;ve earnt over their lifetime without having to defend it from the state.<p>But when they die, IMO their wealth ought to be redistributed to society. Their own kids didn&#x27;t earn it any more than the neighbour&#x27;s kids did. I&#x27;m okay with increasing inheritance tax provided we simultaneously reduce income tax rates. That would produce a fairer society where people are more productive.<p>There will be those who (fairly) contest the double taxation aspect of inheritance tax, but please consider the benefits to society of reducing income tax as a result of raising inheritance tax.<p>Parents could argue that it&#x27;s up to them what they give their kids. That&#x27;s true. But watch &quot;Made in Chelsea&quot; to see what happens when kids get a large inheritance. Horrendous! :-)<p>Obviously tax collection is also an issue here - people will naturally try to avoid inheritance tax, and it will be very hard to stop them. No easy answers to that.