So, You See, What We've Got Going Here Is A Simple Shakedown. Now, You Can Work With Us On That, Can't You?

James Taranto item:

An Honest Accountant
In a letter to the New York Times, Marc J. Lewyn of Atlanta explains why he opposes repeal of the death tax:

As a financial adviser, I spend much of my time helping clients decide how to handle their estate tax liability. . . .

It's not that hard to structure an estate to avoid the tax. That's what the thousands of accountants, lawyers and financial planners do.

From my perspective, the estate tax is purely optional. So repeal is unnecessary except for the uninformed, the unfocused or those people who are unwilling to pay their financial planning team a little more to make the tax go away or be reduced.

People pay their professionals to avoid lots of income tax legally, and they do it every year. Why is it so hard for them to pay a little every few years to review the estate plan and avoid much or all of the estate tax?

In other words, without the estate tax, people who make a living off dying would be out of work.