Death Tax Defying

Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal: (click for entire article)

While Washington continues to debate what to do with the federal death tax—the top rate is now 35% and is scheduled to rise to 55% next year—states are starting to recognize that their high estate taxes are a good way to chase away wealth producers.

Last year Ohio abolished its estate tax, joining the 28 other states that do not impose such a tax at death. Indiana's legislature recently passed by big margins a bill to phase out its death tax by 2021, and Governor Mitch Daniels signed it this week. Heated debates are going on in Tennessee and Nebraska over the issue. Even in Oregon taxpayer groups are attempting to put an initiative on the November ballot to abolish the death tax, and polls show it could win.

The left has long been flummoxed by polls showing that roughly two of three Americans want this tax abolished. Why would Americans oppose a tax that politicians say is aimed at the top 1%?