The previous conclusion that a uniform lump-sum estate tax could implicitly provide annuity income was reached by ignoring the inheritance that agents receive. However, when the agents leave a bequest, they should also receive an inheritance from their parents. Thus, we make the inheritance received—bequests left cycle complete and fully endogenous. Interestingly, the differential timing and sizes of inheritance then generate unequal wealth effects even with actuarially fair annuity markets. To restore the first best, the government has to adopt an estate tax regime that is no longer uniform. Thus, once bequest is fully endogenized, a uniform estate tax no longer bears the annuity role. Further, the differential timing in receiving inheritance creates an unequal wealth distribution, which is also nonstationary. The paper manifests the importance of accounting for and tracing the inheritance received by agents for any crucial policy recommendation.

This analysis used simulation to compare the cost of intergenerational transfer of farm estates under the pre-1981 tax rules and the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA) provisions. ERTA reduces transfer costs for almost all the estates considered. Large estates tend to benefit more than small estates if they qualify for use valuation or if they are large enough to be affected by the reduction in tax rates. ERTA does not create new forces for change in U.S. agriculture, but it tends to strengthen the tendency toward larger farm size and favor those who already own farm resources.