The desirability of inheritance and gift taxes depends on individuals’ tax responsiveness. This paper demonstrates how strongly, and in what way, the German inheritance and gift tax influences taxpayer behavior. To that end, it combines administrative data with cross-bracket tax variation: a...

The desirability of inheritance and gift taxes depends on individuals' tax responsiveness. This paper demonstrates how strongly, and in what way, the German inheritance and gift tax influences taxpayer behavior. To that end, it combines administrative data with cross-bracket tax variation: a...

Standard models on optimal estate taxation do not allow for intergenerational transmission of bequest motives. However, correlation in bequest motives may exist due to genetic and cultural transmission of preferences or indirect reciprocity. I introduce such intergenerational correlation to a...