Why do so many people distrust socialism?

[malificent7]

Is it due to the legacy of Marx, the notion that it's a race to the bottom, the feeling that those who work harder should get paid more or a mistrust of human nature?
I do understand these concerns but what is more worrying if the vast inequality that seems to prevail nowadays. Thoughts please.

Except the entire world has inheritence taxes too.

a

I'm really interested in the idea of 100% inheritance tax, but within a society where you can still earn based on responsibility / time to train.
If all inheritance went to the government to fund world class social care, education and health services then in theory nobody would need inheritance as everybody is looked after very well.
And yet, if you want to live in a very grand house and have grand holidays, you can as long as you earn enough for yourself.

Phasing this in would be very difficult though and to work peacefully would require us trusting in the government enough to spend the money ethically and wisely

A 100 % inheritance tax would likely only catch younger people dying suddenly .(Nice for any kids left behind..) Anyone with any sense of mortality would spend it or give it away.

Because they are greedy.

I'm really interested in the idea of 100% inheritance tax, but within a society where you can still earn based on responsibility / time to train.
If all inheritance went to the government to fund world class social care, education and health services then in theory nobody would need inheritance as everybody is looked after very well.
And yet, if you want to live in a very grand house and have grand holidays, you can as long as you earn enough for yourself.

This. Housing is made available again when people die so there is no shortage. Wealth that would have been inherited goes straight back into public services. A lack of inheritance wouldn’t mean anyone going without, because housing and services would be accessible to all. I don’t believe a secure home is a privilege someone should have to work their balls off for, its a basic thing everyone should have access to

And this is why people are afraid of socialists, because they tend to be ideologues. Once you give them an inch, say that a small level of inheritance tax is a practical redistributive measure to help those with nothing, they take a mile, like the poster above - abolition of private inheritance, with the state having 100% control over everyone’s lives. Terrifying.

the idea of inheritance being abolished makes my blood run cold

and thank goodness I don't have children.

when I was at uni, there was a guy on my course who came from such a rich background, some staff member rang a gong for dinner at his home.
why shouldn't he pay for university?

I don't have much to leave. My small flat is worth silly money because of price inflation. But do I want to leave it to the government for what they think is good use of cash? No I don't.

would inheritance to charity be allowed under this crazy scheme?

Well Cendrillon, if younger people continue to be frozen out while the generations who went before hoard the wealth that fell into their lap, don't be surprised if a socialist government comes to power within the next decade. The way to prevent this is for those in power now to make genuine attempts to tackle this problem, but they won't.

OP hasn't been back but this thread is a good example of what worries people - giving government more power than they already have.

Socialism - whatever that means - would be popular if it meant things like nurses being paid more in line with their value, but is that what it means?

Also I don't think anyone is actually proposing that inheritance be abolished, so its a moot point anyway. But it absolutely should be taxed.

In my case because I can’t see how socialism would improve my lot. I am a net contributor, and am likely to remain so until retirement. The sector I work in loses out due to our socialist aspects of society compared to more progressive comparators internationally and I would expect better remuneration in a less socialist state plus lower taxation.

For those with comparatively little a more socialist system must however be appealing.

There are many versions or ways to implement socialist policies. All that is ever listed by those against are extreme versions, which were implemented poorly in the past and for varying reasons failed (just like capitalism does).

If you are to look at the reality, that we live in a mixed economy already, and that this means that we have forms of socialism in our country at least, and the regulation of markets by government is in line with socialism too, there is not much to fear at all.

Experience, some of us on here experienced a quasi Marxist government in the 60s and 70s and wouldn't wish it on our families.

"Similarly in Denmark people are paid very differently, but taxed in a way that means a barrister might not end up much better off than a manual worker. But there are still plenty of danish lawyers!"

But I want to be better off. If I earn more I want a nice car, nice house, and to enjoy my money.

I don't want to give it up for the manual worker so long as they have a basic living.

But it absolutely should be taxed.
To do what? I have paid my taxes all of my working life to support those who don't/won't work, I don't intend that my money should be further stolen for that endeavour.

Quasi Marxist government im the 60s and 70s?

What the Tory and Labour post war consensus governments ?

Drivel.

To do what? I have paid my taxes all of my working life to support those who don't/won't work, I don't intend that my money should be further stolen for that endeavour.

FFS, what an attitude.

Taxes pay for a functioning society. To fund the NHS. To build infrastructure. To fund education. To provide affordable housing (not free, affordable). To fund social care, the police, prisons, etc. All of the above are going downhill under the Tories.

The vast majority of people choose to work. The small number that don't are hounded by the DWP, and they don't exactly have a great quality of life. This idea of benefit scroungers stealing from the workers is completely overblown. The majority of people on benefits are not abusing the system, they're simply trying to survive. Anyone could need that safety net someday.

To do what? I have paid my taxes all of my working life to support those who don't/won't work, I don't intend that my money should be further stolen for that endeavour.

Exactly - inheritance tax is another massive bite out of the money left over after paying all the other taxes to support the nation - income tax, VAT, capital gains tax, corporation tax, stamp duty, council tax, tax tax tax tax tax.

Socialists don’t care how much tax you’ve already paid - if there’s anything left over, then they want it!

Or anothe wy of phrasing it:

“Since this is an era when many people are concerned about 'fairness' and 'social justice,' what is your 'fair share' of what someone else has worked for?”.

Not my quote but sums it up.

Except no one gets rich in isolation, the wealthiest gain the most from society as it facilitates their earning power and protects their assets.

Putting it in the erroneous simplistic terms above is incorrect.

The what I worked for trope is simply the self attribution fallacy.

As the parent of a child who will probably not be fully independent in adulthood, the idea of 100% inheritance tax makes me very unhappy. Those of you suggesting it need to recall that people like us exist, and have some empathy for us.
Whatever socialism is about, it is not about compassion.

“Self-attribution fallacy”, indeed! What shall we call your fallacy that attributes all of our success to other people?

Well you are erroneously attributing all of your success to yourself. In the UK where we know if you were born after 1980 the biggest determinant of your income as an adult is the income of your parents.

Oh and it is a fallacy, but one which allows you to blame to the poor for being poor whilst attributing all of your own success to yourself.

Go read up on it, you might learn something.

The one person who suggested 100 percent inheritence tax also sais that it would mean all would be taken care of.