January 7, 2010

Estate Tax Level Not Key to Charity Bequests

As the federal government gradually increased the level of wealth heirs could receive without paying estate taxes, the share of fortunes left by rich people through charitable bequests did not seem to be much affected, according to a new Internal Revenue Service study.

But the increases in the exemption level appear to have resulted in a “slight downward trend” in the percentage of wealthy people who made charitable bequests, the IRS said.

The tax agency’s

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