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

No p, it doesn’t. The doctors and nurses working in private healthcare were trained by the state, paid for by us. If they do some of their hours (or all) in private that puts pressure on the NHS, it doesn’t take it off.

I can't be alone in thinking that many of those people moaning about the removal of the winter fuel allowance are the exact same people who have spent the last few years moaning about rich boomer pensioners.

I think it depends what you actually mean. I don't think a billionaire needs another billion (however I would hope they where giving significant amounts to charities). But at the same time a dr working 70hrs a week after completing 5 years of medical school should absolutely get more then an unemployed person.

Believe it all you want but no country in the world has even got close to this ideal. Ever!

People don't choose to be addicts.

Can you define "rich" a bit more precisely? Some people having quite a lot of money isn't a problem. A tiny few people having more wealth than they could ever possibly spend - and that having negative consequences for the majority of society - is a problem. I don't know many people who object to the first sort of rich person.

I'm not against rich people in general, but more specifically a lot of them seem to be the Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, P Diddy, Prince Andrew, Al Fayed, Donald Trump, Savile types, and those are only ones we actually know about.

Yeah your right I didn't think of it like that some of my consultants do private work on the side and if they where getting more call for private they would do less nhs work

No, many doctors have done the vast majority of their training abroad. Around two thirds of new doctors in 2022 qualified abroad.

If they work additional hours that they wouldn't have otherwise worked then it alleviates pressure on the NHS.

£65k a year is not a lot. I earn more than that and I can assure you that I am not rich..I certainly do not feel rich!

Education and healthcare are entirely or largely state -provided and much more accessible in, off the top of my head, Finland,Germany and Denmark than in the UK.

Do you have more than £1.5 million in net assets too?

I earn a quarter of that you are

I mean, by international standards I might be rich, compared to someone living in a rural village in Sri lanka or Botswana or something.

So there will always be people both better off and worse off than most people in a country like the UK. I think it depends how they acquired their wealth.

If they run a decent company that treats their staff well, pays well, sells or offers quality products/services then they do deserve the rewards for that. As long as they are paying all their UK taxes and not trying to register everything in the British virgin islands etc.

Private landlords, I guess I resent their wealth. I don't think anyone needs to accrue multiple property for profit. Everyone should have a decent home and roof over their head and these people can be contributing to making that more difficult, not easier.

Interesting views. I’m slightly staggered that you think the top 10% are rich. I’m in this top 10% of earners and, whilst very comfortable, I’m not rich and my debt is greater than my assets. Earnings and wealth are different things. Rich to me are people with significant income who are also asset rich. I agree with the previous posters who say the gap needs reducing rather than wealth being eradicated. I also agree with taxing those who are earning well and, to a much greater extent, the super rich (very high income / assets).

Not quite - my house is worth around that but it is mortgaged. I also have a property (inheritance) abroad. My kids have a trust fund for uni (my parents).
So what I am saying, this amount does not necessarily make someone rich...comfortable may be yes, but not rich.

Doesn’t change the fact that any time worked in a private clinic is time that could be up in the NHS. The fact we poach other people’s trained doctors doesn’t make it better. We need to train more and ensure all medical decisions are on the basis of need, not cash.

@KeyboardMash "Some people having quite a lot of money isn't a problem"

No. Some people having very little money is problem, though.

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

How about
YABVU Of course there can be rich people in this country and opportunity to achieve that wealth should be distributed evenly. The benefits of wealth should be shared more fairly across the whole population and ploughed back into society to make the country (the environment and the wider world) a better place for everyone.

I agree. If you base it on earnings then I'm in top 1% - but there is no family wealth and so it's assets I've accumulated using earnings. I feel comfortable.

None of those countries have got close to your ideal of being excellent and accessible to all.

I’ll get my coat 👀

Watch this video that someone sent me. It explains the type of rich people who need to contribute more. We’re a bit at cross purposes on this subject generally I think. https://fb.watch/uN9C8l8TYe/?

I agree.

I only dislike rich people that have made their fortune with illegal or no ethical methods. They belong to jail, and their fortune should be use to repare the damage done. I welcome the rest of the rich people. They are lucky people, most of them, clever and hard working that can use their money as they please.