List Of ‘Where Not To Die’ Updated For 2015

In the somewhat macabre Forbes magazine’s annual list of “where not to die in 2015,” some changes are noted over the recommendations for the current year.

Since most people probably think there is no such thing as a good place to die at all, the focus for the publication’s ongoing series tends to be on life’s other main inevitability, taxes. “The tally of death tax jurisdictions remains the same for 2015, 19 states plus the District of Columbia, but eight states are ushering in changes in 2015,” according to the article. “The states are lessening the death tax bite by increasing the amount exempt from the tax, indexing the exemption amount for inflation, and eliminating ‘cliff’ provisions that tax the first dollar of an estate.”

The biggest changes, the story noted, were made in New York and Maryland.

“The Maryland legislature acted first. The new law gradually increases the amount exempt from the state estate tax from $1 million this year, to $1.5 million in 2015, $2 million in 2016, $3 million in 2017, and $4 million in 2018. Finally, in 2019 it will match the federal exemption, which is projected to be $5.9 million.

“Still there’s a big catch in Maryland for some: even if no estate tax is due, depending whom you leave your assets to at death, a separate inheritance tax may be assessed. Spouses, children and their spouses and children, parents and siblings are all exempt from the state inheritance tax, but a niece or aunt or friend, for example, would owe the inheritance tax at a rate of 10 percent. Maryland and New Jersey are the only two states that have an inheritance tax in addition to an estate tax.”

The changes in New York were described in the article as “sweeping.”

In New York, lawmakers decided to more than double the exemption for deaths after April 1 of this year, from $1 million to $2,062,500. The exemption in the Empire State will also increase over time, to eventually match the federal exemption, reaching $5,250,000 by April 1, 2017.

“Other states where the exemption amounts are climbing include Tennessee, Minnesota and Rhode Island,” according to the article. “Tennessee’s estate tax is on its way out; the exemption is $5 million for 2015, and it’s repealed as of Jan. 1, 2016. Minnesota’s exemption is climbing steadily; it will be $1.4 million in 2015, going up to $2 million in 2018. Rhode Island bumped its exemption amount from $921,655 this year to $1.5 million in 2015. The $1.5 million will be indexed for inflation. Also a big deal: Rhode Island eliminated a “cliff” so the tax only kicks in on amounts above the $1.5 million exemption amount.

“Other states indexing their exemptions for inflation like Rhode Island are Washington, with a base exemption of $2 million, and Hawaii and Delaware, which both match the federal exemption amount.”