Today's letters: thanks to Mercer County officials & it's time to dump the estate tax
We commend The Mercer County Board of Freeholders and the County Executive for providing residents many family oriented activities this summer. Our family enjoyed outstanding entertainment at our county parks and the Sun Bank Center as well as Trenton Thunder baseball. The diversity of events reflect the population of our county as evidenced by the attendance.
We also take advantage of the Mercer County Connection offices that give convenient access to county clerk and surrogate services.
Thank you Mercer County officials for your commitment to us.
Jim and Arlene Rogers
Hamilton
The New Jersey estate tax deprives many families of money that would be best used by family members to pay off dept or provide money for grand children to go to college. An estate represents the results of a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice and 100% of that estate should be passed on to ones heirs.
The death of a family member should not be just another taxable event. Lets not forget the wages used to purchase those assets were already taxed by the state and federal governments. In addition sales taxes and or transfer taxes were already levied on most of the assets, and the highest property taxes known to man were paid on the real estate.
Family members of a deceased mother or father have enough obstacles to overcome without having to cope with unfair, outdated inheritance tax requirements.
At 11% to 16%, New Jersey has the highest estate taxes in America and after taxing the estate on top of that they also tax the share of an estate received by certain beneficiaries.
Tell your elected New Jersey representatives in the legislature to do what 84% of the other states have already done. It's time to dump the estate tax.
Joe Tighue
Former Mercer County surrogate
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