2 Cheers, 1 Boo for Estate Tax

* The cruel and unfair estate tax that Kenneth L. Khachigian describes in his guest column (“It’s Obvious Who’s Really Selfish Here,” May 11) is the attempt to alleviate what many feel is a larger and more pervasive problem, the distribution of wealth in our society.

If properly adjusted to higher net-worth levels, the farmers and ranchers used as examples would not apply to this tax. However, corporate America’s executives, whose compensation is growing far faster than those they employ (many define this as selfish), would have to face this tax as intended when created decades ago.

The distribution of wealth problem cannot be solved with any policy that will be applauded by higher income brackets, because it requires taking from the wealthier and giving to the poorer. The estate tax is an attempt to bridge that gap, provided the revenues are spent correctly by the government, which is a separate issue in itself.

What we do know, however, is that corporate America does not know how or chooses not to bridge this gap.

RICK BILEK

Huntington Beach

* Surely Ken Khachigian jests. Can he be serious in claiming that, because the “corrupt” estate tax affects only 1.5% of the population, it therefore discriminates against a minority group? His attempt to stretch this upper 1.5% “minority” to include all those “average folk” who have made it through a “lifetime of hard work and discipline,” “moms and dads who want to leave a lifetime of sweat equity to their kids,” citizens who “play by the rules” is beyond transparent rhetoric. Certainly, this is tongue-in-cheek humor.

JUNE MAGUIRE

Mission Viejo

* Khachigian accurately outlines the problems with the current debate on estate taxes and how politicians see themselves as entitled spenders of dead people’s money.

Proponents of the tax will argue that the money is best redistributed by them to the people and causes they determine as most in need. This gives little consideration to the wishes outlined by the deceased in his last will and testament. It also provides little incentive for workers to save any of their income today if they know the bulk of it will be snatched away from their rightful heirs once they have passed away.

So much for that once cherished parental desire to make things better for our children than what we had. The state and federal governments currently receive at least 30% of workers’ income plus an additional 6% to 8% in sales taxes. If this is not enough to meet their fiscal needs, they should be concerning themselves with ways to be more efficient in their spending rather than more thorough in their taxing.

Khachigian correctly identifies what our government calls its need as what it actually is--its greed.

LESLIE BILLINGS

Foothill Ranch