To think it’s unfair that some people get inheritance while others start with nothing?

Great

Are you going to stop parents or grandparents paying for extra cirricular activities? Holidays? Food on the table? A better house and neighbourhood? Or placements because they have better connections? Money to live on while they go to universities? Or tutoring while at school? How about money for driving lessons and their first car? Or a deposit for a house?

You are being ridiculous. If it's anything that gives an advantage, you might as well reduce us all to have nothing but live on welfare.

My dad died suddenly when I was 18 and about to go to university, he was working class and I inherited his monthly private pension whilst I was in full-time education (it stopped the day I graduated), it didn’t exactly break the bank but supported me financially in a time when I would’ve struggled mentally to hold down a job and complete a degree.

Was that a benefit for me? Yes. But I’d hardly call myself wealthy or say it was unfair. I’d have given every penny and the shirt off my back to have 5 more minutes with my dad instead. I think you need consider that inheritance doesn’t always equal wealth.

I think its impossible to make life fair and would not support a radical banning of inheriting which would cause more problems than it would solve.

Having said that I find the continual emphasising of having worked hard for money being a defence of the right to inherit tax free very illogical. Taxing income more than you tax a windfall is not rewarding hard work at all!

No life isn’t fair, and I feel for the people that don’t get a head start in life.

But also - my Dad grew up on a council estate, with a single mum and his nan in the sixties. He started a business from his mums dining room aged 17, worked his butt off, got a degree from Cambridge in his 50s and his business is still going strong. He worked really hard, and like he says “why shouldn’t I pass that on to my kids?”

as it goes he has actually helped us with things as we go instead because he knows we probably won’t see much of it after tax

I kinda of get your point. I have a relative who has worked in dossy, low paid jobs all her life but is better off than me because she inherited a couple of houses from various relatives (and I have worked my guts out in stressful technical jobs that i've hated).

But i dont see why i should give my money to the state when i die, which will either be wasted or given in kind to people i dont know.

as others have said life is unfair. Why should people get free carehomes/heating allowance/ etc etc just because they couldnt be bothered to work or spent all their money and therefore qualify for pension credit?

I won’t be getting any inheritance, but I don’t think it’s unfair that others do.
You were born into the family you were meant to be in, in order to exist.
The only time inheritance becomes unfair is when a parent gives it all to one child and excludes others, and uses money as a weapon.

Speaking as someone who came from a poverty-stricken back ground (and whose parents died having never owned property but leaving a very small amount of savings, largely because they never spent money for terror of being destitute), but who - through education - clawed my way into the middle class - I find the OP's suggestion laughable.

If my house and savings haven't been swallowed up for my care needs, it's all going to my brother's children. As I said, I clawed my way out of being brought up in poverty and worked hard enough (and had no children myself) to become relatively comfortable. I can't see any 'privilege' in that.

Do you want us all in navy boiler suits as well op?

tbh, the average inheritance, split between kids, isn’t that much. I know a family of 5 who were struggling for space (no 2 and no 3 kids were twins, obviously unexpected). With a 70k inheritance, they got a car they could comfortably fit in and did some work on their home to make more space. I don’t think it’s keeping wealth with the wealthy - it’s just allowing people to do what they wish with their own money.

when me and DH die, anything our kids get will be been earned by us and already taxed. It’s not generational wealth, it’s money we earned. And if the govt was going to take all of it instead of letting my kids have it, I’d sooner set fire to it.

What is the alternative?

Same, my parents worked their way up from literally nothing, my Dad worked 4 different jobs at the same time at one point, paid taxes all their lives. Of course they will leave their money to their grandchildren, as is their right.

DH and I have inherited nothing as our grandparents had nothing to leave, and our parents are (thankfully) still alive, and through sheer slog are now living in an 800k house with a 250k mortgage, whilst working for the nhs (so not earning very high salaries). The 'wealth' of having our parents still around means the most to us, and we will encourage our parents to enjoy their money while they can

It does reinforce inequality. I really don’t understand why people are so against inheritance tax and I say that as someone who would be impacted by that. When I die I really don’t care what happens to my money

There’s lots of unfair things in life but this is not a major concern of mine even though I will not benefit from an inheritance. I had a good education, bought a house and am healthy so am winning compared to most of the world.

why stop at inheritance, what about earnings. Completely unfair that people who work their arse off get to keep the money they earned, we should take half their money in taxes….

And just to add - would never just let us coast along any way, we have all had to work hard too!

He is my hero 🥰

In your utopia op, how would you make this fair:

some people have 2 parents that love and adore them and make their lives the best they can

others have parents who do a runner, abuse them or simply just bully them.

Life isn't fair, not all hard work gets financially rewarded, that is why I support inheritance tax, even though I have just had to pay it. Not wealthy but house prices these days mean that many people like me will be paying it in the future.

It's unfair that some people have their parents and their money for a long time and some don't. Life is unfair.

I like this analogy! DH and I always say we’d like our children to be a little bit more comfortable than we were growing up (and maybe need a bit less therapy!) - I think people who want to massively further increase taxation on earned + saved wealth don’t understand the extent to which they will be disincentivising any sort of entrepreneurial / capital creating behaviour.

I've had inheritance twice in the last year, I can't said say I'm feeling one bit privileged, all the money in the world won't undo the last 2 years of trauma we've seen as a family.

I haven't even touched a penny of it, and that's not because I don't need to, it could change our lives but it's attached to so much sadness.

Well yes we do very heavily tax earnings that's the point. I get taxed much much more on my income than someone would on their inheritance. Arguably it is completely unfair that money I worked my arse off for is taxed much more heavily than money someone just received for no work.

ETA - my marginal rate is over half by the way!

Why shouldn't people have the right to save money for their children? It's not their fault if other decide not to.

It is fairly well established that good looking people are treated better and earn more, so I think it's unfair that I was born short and physically plain. I know I'd have had it much easier in many regards if I'd had good skin, symmetrical features and been 3 inches taller.
Maybe we should force everyone born tall and pretty to walk around in flat shoes with a bag on their head ?

Of course it's not "fair". But not much in life is. And very few start with an inheritance - most are middle aged I would think, and most don't inherit vast amounts. Tax it a bit, fine, target the mega rich, fine - but don't crush ordinary aspiration. If it's not worth working hard, people will stop working hard.

You’re forgetting that some people grow up doing nothing. No holidays, no nice / new clothes, no days out, cheap / crap / unhealthy food, no school trips, no car, no help to buy 1st car / get married / 1st house because their parents controlled the money and wanted to save instead of having any quality of life. Of course those people deserve to reap the benefits of that scrimping and saving when they were brought up with virtually nothing and it has an impact on their relationship, health etc.