Revenue and Incentive Effects of Basis Step-Up at Death: Lessons from the 2010 "Voluntary" Estate Tax Regime
14 Pages Posted: 21 Mar 2016 Last revised: 12 May 2023
Date Written: March 2016
Abstract
In 2010, the U.S. estate tax expired and executors of wealthy decedents were not required to file estate tax returns. In the absence of the estate tax, beneficiaries received assets with carryover rather than stepped-up basis. Unrealized capital gains accounted for 44 percent of the fair market value of non-cash assets in estates that chose the carryover basis regime, and an even higher percentage for some asset categories. Many of the largest gains were on assets that had been held for at least two decades.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Gordon, Robert N. and Joulfaian, David and Poterba, James M. and Poterba, James M., Revenue and Incentive Effects of Basis Step-Up at Death: Lessons from the 2010 "Voluntary" Estate Tax Regime (March 2016). NBER Working Paper No. w22090, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2752295
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