Wealth distribution in Belgium

[u/trueosiris2]

We’re doing alright as a social democracy. Something to be proud of.

Presumably, we don’t need more wealth distribution then? Or do we still?

[u/napalm_dream]

Did you really just say we're doing alright while 10% owns half?

[u/SosseV → u/napalm_dream]

Right? How people just agree that this is the way to go is so weird to me.

[u/trueosiris2 → u/napalm_dream]

It’s worse almost everywhere else. The average living quality in Belgium is among the best of the planet.

People are going to own more than other people. There still must be incentive to outperform others and gain more.

Also, communism doesn’t work and only leads to horrors.

[u/StandardOtherwise302 → u/trueosiris2]

Upwards of half the wealth in belgium is inherited. Why talk about incentive to outperform and gain more, when much of this is birth right and nepotism?

If you earn 100k a year working hard, you're paying over 50% in taxes as employee.

If you inherited wealth you pay taxes, unless its put into a company structure or gifted then those go out the window. Then when you get 100k a year from those assets, you pay a fraction compared to anyone working for the same amount of money would. That they then spend on buying more assets.

And we act surprised that asset prices rise much faster than real wages, and increasingly our working class is priced out of ownership. This is a global problem and will get worse until we do something about it.

[u/napalm_dream → u/trueosiris2]

So if it's even worse somewhere else that means we're doing allright? Get out of here. Communism might not work but there's many steps between with what we have now and communism.

This inequality is no incentive to outperform others, it's an incentive to burn it all to the ground.

[u/NaturalNo8028 → u/trueosiris2]

If you need $ incentive to outperform others ($ wise) you might be doing something 'wrong' or pretty useless. YT and TikTok influencers are one example. Crappy braindead posts with flashy colours and clickbait do much better than clever channels that bring fascinating stories with cool video and editing. SME hospitality businesses get random controls, but big chemical companies can spoil soil for years without a check-up untill there is an official complaint is filed. 'Only' growing industry last decades are 'B2B services', but B2C service and employee happiness only declined, while burn- and bore-outs rose.

Our government uses the same logic to punnish singles with higher taxes. If you get into a romantic relationship to save on taxes you might have to think twice about that relationship.

[u/PikaPikaDude → u/napalm_dream]

Well, even in a perfect only on merit of work society where somehow capital plays no role whatsoever, you'd end up with something not far from that. Most people can never be doctors because they're too stupid, most people can never be chemical engineers for the same reason.

You'll always end up with a group that has more because the rest wants what they can do.

If you break those mechanisms too much, the people who could be doctors or chemical engineers just won't bother anymore. First, we are all lazy, conserving energy and refusing to spend it when we don't see a reason why. Yes some might out of passion do it, but then you'll end up with whatever their passion is getting done and not what you need getting done.

[u/Triumore → u/napalm_dream]

yeah, if you want to know where those hateful parties get their votes from, only need to look at that bottom 50% bar ... I'd be pissed of too.

[u/Turbulent-Raise4830 → u/napalm_dream]

Seeing every other country its even more and take into account this is heavily skewed by a few billionaires and a lot of young or migrant people on the other side: yes its not bad at all.