Inheritance tax, justice and family businesses

This chapter addresses the problem of the inheritance of business ownership. In public debates about inheritance taxes, its potentially disruptive effects on family businesses play a prominent role, and many justice- as well as efficiency-based arguments against inheritance taxation refer to family businesses. It will first be explained why it is interesting to look at family businesses when it comes to inheritance taxes by providing some data and highlighting the special role they play in public discourse. It will then be argued that the standard arguments for a progressive inheritance tax apply to the inheritance of family businesses with special force. An important question, however, concerns whether the special value of family businesses counts in favour of any special protection against inheritance taxes. While some protections may be defensible, it is ultimately possible for progressive inheritance taxation to coexist with a commitment to the family business as something worth protecting.