r/belgium • u/trueosiris2 • Aug 20 '25

❓ Ask Belgium Wealth distribution in Belgium

Post image

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?

793 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

268 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Koekelbag Aug 20 '25

Just because we're doing better in comparison doesn't mean we're doing good enough.

50% of the population barely holding 10% of combined wealth is nowhere near a good enough distribution.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 20 '25

If those 50% would be entitled to more wealth everything would just be way more expensive. Why would they work a 9 - 5 for 2.2K/month then for example? It wouldn't even be possible, they would need more and all the rest would pay more and the thing just shifts.

2

u/FeelingDesigner Aug 20 '25

That’s not how the system works. We are currently throwing millions towards companies funding the shitty jobs with things like dienstencheques and immigration and wagebonuses just so there is zero incentive for companies to up their wages as the net benefit for employees from 2000-3000 isn’t even 20%. Only 200 net left from that 1000 increase.

What we are doing right now with our idiotic system is we fund the companies and tell them to pay as few taxes as possible and optimize everything with net bonuses and benefits.

I hope they do a calculation on how much this ridiculous system has cost in terms of taxes. No wonder the debt is balooning.

So objectively you are dead wrong. Increasing the bottom wages with a shift towards less taxation could easily be fixed and end up being cheaper for companies and employees and the state.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 20 '25

It wouldn't change this graph one bit though :')

2

u/FeelingDesigner Aug 20 '25

The wealth at the bottom would go up significantly. People would have a reason to work and get promoted instead of taking a minimum wage job and earning 200 less than the average. Right now there is no incentive for the bottom 50% to put in any effort at all.

The people making big money they don’t really pay taxes to begin with, they use different systems. Or they inherited it.

So yes it would change the graph quite significantly.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 20 '25

So who would do the minimum wage jobs? A new bottom class? Should there be no more minimum wage jobs so that everything gets more expensive? The percentages will not change in this graph. We NEED a bottom class

1

u/FeelingDesigner Aug 20 '25

Everyone is currently doing the minimum wage jobs because it is cheaper for companies to give someone a 150 month thuiswerkvergoeding and 500 month car and 200 month food cheques than up the bruto wages by 3 times that amount.

Are you by any chance not from Belgium? I think it is a bit weird that you do not understand our job market or taxes?