[CliffFletcher]

If we believe that adult children will need to inherit large sums from their parents in order to be financially secure, aren't we conceding that we no longer live a broadly prosperous meritocracy? That it's no longer the case that a child raised in an average household who works reasonably hard will have a good life?

We're already seeing a hardening class system develop in this country. Do we really want to wind up like the States, with their crime, distrust, failing institutions, and vicious political culture?

We're going to need to consider policies like inheritance taxes if we want to avoid that fate. If we want strong public education and public health care to endure in a country with an ageing population, the money has to come from somewhere. Maybe inheritance taxes are a fair trade-off if they mean the affluent don't need to live in gated communities, send their kids to private schools, and pay for private health care.