On Sat, 12 Jun 2021 at 17:46:43, NY wrote (my
responses usually follow points raised):
"Fredxx" wrote in message
...
I recall a change to death duties in either Australia or New Zealand
where dying after the implementation of a change in death duties was
beneficial to their family.

My understanding is that there was quite a significant skew of the
death rate around this date, where the death rate peaked
significantly after the date of implementation. I can't find a link
any article with a quick google.

"Oh bugger! Uncle Bruce has died too soon. Stick him in the deep freeze
for a few weeks!"

Similar effects are observable in the UK - not duties I think, but
fines; civil registration of births and deaths started (England -
Scotland later) mid-1837. You have to register within X days of the
event, or pay a fine of Y; births, in particular, tended to be
registered as having happened later than the truth when families for
whatever reason didn't get round to it in time - and there was a
noticeable distortion to the flow around any date when X or Y was
changed. (IIRR, although registration was compulsory from mid-1837,
there wasn't an actual fine set down for not doing so for the first few
years, for example.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

If something works, thank an engineer. (Reported seen on a bumper sticker.)