Sir, – Discussion of the iniquities of inheritance tax is long overdue (“Inheritance tax thresholds should be increased over time, says Tánaiste”, News, June 16th).
Let me add something to the discussion. A family of sons and daughters will be treated relatively generously by the system. The threshold of €335,000 per sibling can lead to very little tax in a large family. But what if one or more of those children are not blood relatives. What if one or more of these siblings are, for whatever reason, not blood siblings at all or are cousins or more remote family. My mother died when I was born. I was unofficially adopted by an aunt and uncle. My brother and sister were actually cousins. The difference in the tax treatment is actually dramatic. It can be totally unfair. You spend your whole life loving your “brother and sister” and your “Mum and Dad” but at inheritance you discover that they pay no tax and you get clobbered. It is a serious discrimination.
The British system of taxation is not generous but it is fair. The tax is levied on the net value of the estate not on the status of the individual beneficiary.
– Yours, etc,
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DAVIDMcCARTER,
Hillsborough,
Co Down.
