LAW 469 - Estate & Gift Tax

The course introduces students to the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. Collectively, these taxes apply to donative transfers of wealth during life and at death. Despite the relatively narrow application of these taxes, they account for a significant amount of planning and are at the center of some of the most contested tax policy debates of the 21st century. Accordingly, the course will consider tax planning objectives of taxpayers while giving proportionate coverage to policy concerns and perspectives of the government. The course has no prerequisites, but it is not a substitute for taking Federal Income Taxation or Trusts & Estates.