With reference to the estate tax, gift tax, and generation skipping transfer taxes, if a recipient makes a qualified disclaimer with respect to any interest in property within the estate of decedent or donor, the property will be treated as if it had never been transferred to the recipient.
An example of when this might be used wisely is as follows: John Doe dies unexpectedly and his will leaves everything to his wife and the will was written 30 years ago. If the wife now owns considerable assets in her name, she might prefer that part of the property in her husband’s estate pass to their children instead. By properly disclaiming some of the property designated to pass to her, she could reduce her estate taxes at her death (see an attorney for details on how this can be done).