The German Treasury is already holding out on inheritance tax. Cases of family businesses such as Tengelmann and Knorr- Bremse, which according to media reports are subject to high inheritance taxes, also testify to this. The “flat tax” could lead to even higher burdens. Its supporters pretend that the tax liability can be deferred. The taxes could be paid off over ten years. But this does not change the fact that the company’s creditworthiness for investments in the banks is falling dramatically. There is a lack of capital for the transformation and for overcoming crises.
It is also a legend that Germany offers descendants particularly favorable inheritance tax. Other countries do that. Sweden, Austria, the Slovak Republic and Portugal have all abolished inheritance tax. In many countries business assets are completely exempt from tax when transferred to close relatives: Denmark, France, Ireland, Poland, the United Kingdom, Hungary, the Swiss canton of Zurich and the USA do not levy any inheritance tax on business assets belonging to spouses. In this respect, Germany is also a maximum tax country for the inheritance of business assets.