Real estate transfer tax in a hall of mirrors: a tax conundrum

David Hötzel attempts to bring clarity to the complexity of real estate transfer tax in his article on the latest decrees on property attribution. The decrees create a legal situation in which the transfer of the same property could be taxed several times, which contradicts intuitive logic. The article uses examples to illustrate why the current system is economically unwise and constitutionally questionable. The article argues for a reform of real estate transfer tax law to ensure that a single transaction remains just that - a one-off taxable event.