Post #3829037
2026-07-15 09:20 UTC
It's expensive to be poor.
* Sales tax is a disproportionate cost.
* Economy of scale not available.
* Fluctuation/increase in cost of living is a much greater risk than for financially secure people.
* Investment is impossible, so rental housing is pure cost resulting in no asset.
* Family support ('black tax', etc) is a massive cost for employed poor people who commonly spend a vast proportion of their income supporting unemployed family.
Replies (2)
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@malachy@mastodon.nu 2026-07-15 09:31
Every country in the world has a welfare state. In poor countries, it's just privatised. But this is in the cynical sense that poor people are expected to look after their families and communities, with no rational 'state' support. It erodes social and personal capital - no assets exist, only income and expense. Encourages paternalism and hierarchical control of women and children. Gangs proliferate, becoming successful as informal welfare organisations.
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@kimvanwyk@fosstodon.org 2026-07-15 10:11
@malachy@mastodon.nu I've always considered the economy of scale argument to be excellently presented in one of Terry Pratchett's most memorable passages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory