The Personal Wealth Taxes: The Inheretance and Gift Taxes and the Net Wealth Tax in Spain

The aim of this chapter is to analyze the role played by the Personal Wealth Tax in the process of Spanish tax reform started in 1977. Besides the Personal Net Wealth Tax we also study the reform process of the Inheritance and Gift Taxes. These taxes have generally been justified on equity grounds, more specifically, their role of improving income distribution and the overall progressively of the fiscal systems. This chapter studies whether, in practice, these taxes have achieved their objectives starting with the 1977 Fiscal Reform until now, and what role they can play in the immediate future.