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pat_k

(12,232 posts)
1. Call on leaders to advocate for progressive tax on income and wealth to fund Piketty-style "Inheritance for all"
Wed Oct 29, 2025, 08:08 PM
Wednesday

We will never build the political will for such transformative change if no one is advocating for it.

Silence and surrendering in advance on anything the Democratic consultant class deems "unwinnable" helped bring us to this point.

I know many object to using AI summaries, but this one on inheritance for all does a better job of summarizing than I could:

Piketty's "inheritance for all" is a proposal for a one-time state payment of a substantial sum, like €120,000, to every citizen when they turn 25. The goal is to reduce wealth inequality by providing a capital transfer to young adults, funded by progressive wealth and inheritance taxes on the wealthy. This would give those with little to no inherited wealth more financial power for opportunities like education, housing, or starting a business.

What it is: A universal, one-time payment given to every citizen at age 25.
How it's funded: By significantly increasing wealth and inheritance taxes on the wealthiest individuals and estates.

How much: The amount is proposed to be around €120,000 or $150,000-$180,000 in other contexts.

The goal: To counteract the inequality created by inherited wealth by providing a "starter capital" for all young adults, thereby increasing their financial power and life choices.

Context: It is presented as one part of a broader "participatory socialism" plan, which also includes other reforms like higher income taxes and worker co-determination in corporations.


We need to stop advocating for progressive tax on income and tax on wealth as a general principle with vaguely defined benefits. Our leaders need to get clear with a concrete benefit for ALL. Inheritance for all is that concrete benefit. And it is absolutely necessary to reverse the inevitable, and increasingly obscene, concentration of wealth that is driven by the fact that capital grows at a faster rate than the overall economy (see Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century).

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