Anyone ever killed just for inheritance tax?

General Discussions Forum
1

Got this idea for a book and wondered if anything like it has ever happened. Thought here might be a good place to ask.

The plot would be about police investigating a string of murders targeting the wealthiest people. The twist? The killer’s motive is that every time they kill, a large amount of inheritance tax is collected, supposedly benefiting the country. The killer believes they’re doing a public service by redistributing wealth in a unique way.

Has there ever been a case where someone was killed not for direct gain but just to boost tax revenue?

2

There was a “Law and Order” episode where someone tried to commit a murder before an inheritance tax law changed. Not quite the same, but close.

3

Davi said:
There was a “Law and Order” episode where someone tried to commit a murder before an inheritance tax law changed. Not quite the same, but close.

That sounds a lot like this book I remember:

4

Doesn’t sound super realistic, honestly. The killer doesn’t get anything out of it, and most of the money would go to the person’s heirs, not to the state. Not exactly a smart way to raise money.

5

Yeah, rich people usually have trusts and other setups to avoid inheritance tax. It’d be tough for a killer to actually make that much of a financial difference.

6

Reminds me of a plot twist from an old detective story, where at first the motive seems noble or selfless. But the detective catches on that it doesn’t add up.

7

Not sure if it’s happened, but it’s definitely possible. People commit crimes for all kinds of strange reasons, so it’s not far-fetched.

8

I think there was a “Columbo” episode that touched on inheritance issues too, in a different way.

9

Love the idea, but honestly, investigators would probably think it’s revenge-driven at first, like someone mad at the rich. They’d figure that out quickly though if the motive wasn’t personal.

10

Looked it up, and only a few places even have inheritance taxes. Like, if you killed the wealthiest person in New Jersey, each person would only get around $100.

11

MissNicklaus said:
Looked it up, and only a few places even have inheritance taxes. Like, if you killed the wealthiest person in New Jersey, each person would only get around $100.

I’m actually from the UK, so I’d set the story there. It’s not about whether the logic is sound—it’s just the killer’s reasoning.

12

@Ash
Fair enough, but even then each person would barely get $30. Probably why no one’s tried it!

13

MissNicklaus said:
Looked it up, and only a few places even have inheritance taxes. Like, if you killed the wealthiest person in New Jersey, each person would only get around $100.

True, and besides, the first big chunk of the estate is usually tax-free, so it wouldn’t add up to much anyway.

14

So someone’s committing murders just to raise tax funds? Sounds a bit odd since the government might not even accept the money if they knew it was from crime!