Do you believe that rich people should exist?

[Bumpitybumper]

Having read lots of threads on here, I am starting to wonder about the proportion of people that believe that rich people shouldn't exist at all and that policies should be enacted to ensure a more or less even distribution of wealth.

So out of interest and just to satisfy my curiosity please vote:
YABU - there shouldn't be rich people in this country and that wealth should be distributed evenly to the extent that people aren't significantly richer than others.
YANBU - rich people are a necessary (and potentially even desirable) part of society

I don't think either of your options are correct, what most people want is a smaller gap between the richest and poorest. We don't think poverty should exist.

I think that too few people have a disproportionate amount of wealth in this country. I believe in taxing the rich in proportion to their wealth and fair distribution of that tax.

It depends what you define as rich? If you mean multi-billionaires, then I'm starting to think no. No one needs to accumulate more at that stage. They already have colossal generational wealth, multiple houses, art, yachts, healthcare, jets, lawyers etc.

I'm happy for rich people to exist. It's poor people I'd like to get rid of!

I think that's a slightly different question though so deliberately worded it this way.

I can think of quite a few threads that I have been on where posters have fundamentally disapproved of the rich gaining advantage due to their wealth. It hasn't always been about the poorest losing out to the richest but more about the politics of envy and people resenting those who have more than them.

I think many people for example feel very conflicted about rich people being able to buy a better education or health care than the ordinary person.

I know what you're saying, but as a person who lives in poverty, and until recently was street homeless - I can tell you with absolute certainty that it's poor people that society believes shouldn't exist at all. It's the very poor, disabled and homeless that society wants purged. Not the rich

Goady thread alert..

If my pay wasn't linked to my job which wasn't link to the pressure and stress that come it, I would definitely pick to be a mail delivery woman! That would be the perfect job for me!

Like a pp - to the extent of multi billionaires ? No it’s obscene in a world where people are starving. That wealth should be distributed more evenly.

How you’d stop it though I have no idea.

The rich already pay most tax though and get least benefit from it. I say that as a former tax advisor not a rich person

Yes of course they should. They should pay a bit more tax but not excessive amounts.

We shouldn't punish success and hard work.

I think there is a world of difference between being able to buy a posh handbag or fancy holiday to being able to buy better healthcare or education. The latter I am opposed to I think.

I suppose I mean the top 10%.

Income wise this would be around £65K and weather wise this would be around £1.5 million.

I think with healthcare everyone should be entitled to a basic level of good healthcare. But you should be able to buy amenities etc. like a private room etc

Why is it ok to pay for frivolous things but not healthcare and education. Surely these are things that most people would prioritise irrespective of income level. Do you think it's wrong if someone with a low income pays for extra tuition for their child or pays for a private health appointment?

I don’t believe everyone shoudl have the same as intelligence and hard work should be rewarded. I do think some people have to much and inheritance/gains should be more highly taxed to create more equality of opportunity

Oh for heaven’s sake, 65k does not make you rich

Poor people aren't poor because of the wealth of rich people. The problem with these sorts of liberal policies is that they level down, so everyone ends up poorer with no incentive to create wealth.

I'd prefer to eradicate envy instead.

When people are no longer allowed to be wealthy and lose all incentive to work then everyone will be poor!
This has already been tried and proven horrible. It's called communism.
If you are not happy in a free western ( but not perfect) nation why don't you move to Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, or North Korea?

I think this is tricky though because many people work hard under the premise that they are building up some kind of legacy for their children. At least I know that's a large part of my motivation. If I thought that it was all going to be lost to tax in the end then I'm honestly not sure if I would be working so hard. I would just need to get a decent enough pension and then I would stop.

Interesting. Do you mean by closing the gap between extreme wealth and poverty or doing away with the less fortunate in society??

Well, of course. that's how a re-distributive tax system should work.

Do you mean by raising NMW/benefit levels/whatever to eradicate poverty?

Or do you mean offing poor people?

You are in the top 10% of earners if you earn this much. I did include the net wealth figure too as I think it is harder to judge if someone is rich on income alone.

Hating the rich is simple jealousy, always has been and always will be.

People below the societal average often vocally disagree with capitalism… until they get some capital 😂😂
Then all of a sudden they ‘earned it’ and the government can fuck right off if they even think of taking it away and redistributing it to the poor people who need to jolly well pull their socks up and make better decisions.
It’s a story as old as the hills.

Also the IFS shows the top 1% of taxpayers provided 29% of all income tax revenue.
All public services would be utterly destroyed if the top 1% down tooled or just left the country…