Philadelphia-area residents interested in the ongoing issue of the estate tax, the repeal of which I might remind you is thoroughly reversible, are advised that Chuck Collins, co-founder of United for a Fair Economy and Responsible Wealth, and co-author, with Bill Gates Sr., of Wealth and Our Commonwealth, will be in the area on Sunday and Monday.

Collins will speak on Sunday, March 21, at 11:00 a.m., on “Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes,” at the Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. Collins’s speech will explain the history, mythology, and policy of taxing inherited wealth in the U.S. and how changes in the nation’s tax laws have fostered and are encouraging economic inequality.

On Sunday afternoon, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., also at the Philadelphia Ethical Society, Collins will be joined by UFE’s Dedrick Muhammad for a workshop on the growing wealth gap between whites and peoples of color in the U.S.

And on Monday, March 22, Collins will appear at White Dog Café (3420 Sansom St.), joined by Ed Schwartz, founder and president of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values and chairman of the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission, for a “Table Talk” dinner and presentation, addressing the topic, “Shift, Shrink and Shaft: The Conservative Tax Agenda and What it Means for You.”

The cost for this event, which includes the speakers’ presentations and a discussion, along with a three-course dinner is $35.00 (tax and gratuity included). Senior citizens and full-time students will be charged $25.00 with advance notification to the White Dog Café. For reservations, call (215) 386-9224.

* “Screwing the middle and working class” are my words and not those of the UFE, Responsible Wealth, the Institute for the Study of Civic Values, the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission, or the White Dog Café.