This thought process was a result of the possible estate tax repeal of 2010. With the current estate tax regulations, the estate tax dropped from 2001 to 2009, but after 2010 they will be higher (Pender, 2001). This will result in ethical issues related to keeping people on life support since if they live too long there is a price to pay.
This repeal also makes estate planning problematic. The unified credit increased to $3.5 million in 2009 but following 2010 this amount would decrease substantially and larger estates would lose their step-up in cost basis related to some assets (Pender, 2001). While tax treatments are favorable through 2010, following this data, only the first $1.3 million in inherited assets will be subject to the step up in cost basis. An unethical practice might include executors of estates choosing according to
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