Congress refused for over a decade to make the Estate and Gift Tax law changes. They only passed a last-minute 2 year extension in December. The Internal Revenue Code was last overhauled in 1986 in the Reagan era attempt toward simplification. Since then, more than 20,000 amendments and additions have been made. The result is a patchwork mess which is filled with “tricks” and “gottchas” making the Tax Code incomprehensible.
THe other issue is the high tax rates and the taxation of worldwide income. Most developed countries, including those in the European Union, only tax income earned in their own country. This worldwide taxation puts US companies and citizens at a big disadvantage. This hurts jobs and the economy. See WSJ article.
see: http://www.TaxEsq.com
