Bequest Taxes and Accumulation of Household Wealth: U.S. - Japan Comparison

109 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2000 Last revised: 5 Aug 2022

See all articles by Thomas A. Barthold

Thomas A. Barthold

Government of the United States of America - Joint Committee on Taxation

Takatoshi Ito

University of Tokyo - Faculty of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Ministry of Finance, Tokyo

Date Written: May 1991

Abstract

The objective of this paper is two-fold. First, we describe and compare the gift and bequest (estate) tax systems in the United States and Japan. Second, we use tax data to estimate the magnitude of intergenerational transfers. The magnitude of intergenerational transfers provides aid in determining how much outstanding wealth is obtained through intergenerational transfers, an issue of current controversy. In both Japan and the United States, a substantial portion of wealth, and especially of land in Japan, is bequeathed from one generation to the next.

Suggested Citation

Barthold, Thomas A. and Ito, Takatoshi, Bequest Taxes and Accumulation of Household Wealth: U.S. - Japan Comparison (May 1991). NBER Working Paper No. w3692, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=227446

Thomas A. Barthold

Government of the United States of America - Joint Committee on Taxation ( email )

Room 1625 Longworth House Office Building
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Takatoshi Ito (Contact Author)

University of Tokyo - Faculty of Economics ( email )

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Tokyo 113-0033
Japan

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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Ministry of Finance, Tokyo ( email )

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