When a taxpayer dies, the tax basis of the property is the value of the property on the date of death. As such, if property is sold for this date-of-death value, there is no gain or loss.
Depreciation methods that allow faster write-offs than straight-line rates in the earlier periods of the useful life of an asset. For example, in the first few years of recovery, MACRS allows a 200% double declining balance write-off, twice the straight-line rate.