What is the purpose of the unified credit in donor's tax?

The unified credit in donor's tax is designed to offset a donor's tax liability with a lifetime exemption. This credit allows individuals to gift a certain amount of money or property without immediate tax consequences, effectively combining the estate and gift tax exemptions into a single credit that can be used throughout one’s lifetime or at death.

When a donor makes gifts that exceed the annual exclusion limit, the unified credit helps ensure that they do not incur immediate tax liability as long as their total gifts over a lifetime remain below the exemption threshold. This mechanism encourages charitable giving and facilitates wealth transfer without imposing onerous tax burdens on donors, promoting generosity and philanthropy.

Other options do not capture the essence of the purpose of the unified credit; imposing higher taxes on large gifts would contradict its intent to relieve tax burdens, simplifying the tax filing process is not its primary focus, and eliminating the need for appraisals does not align with the structured approach to ensuring accurate valuations for tax purposes. The unified credit specifically aims to provide a means for individuals to make significant gifts while managing their tax responsibilities effectively.