Can you explain passing tax liability on to the next generation? If someone inherits land they get it at the stepped up value of what the land is worth when they inherited it. I assumed machinery was the same way if the machinery got sold. I don't think anyone that inherits machinery should be able to depreciate it if they didn't have to pay anything for it because the depreciation would have already been taken by the guy that bought it. I think dying is a way to get out of paying taxes. The other 2 ways are to not make any money or to keep taking on debt. I think having to pay taxes is a lot better then the alternatives.