Wealth and poverty discourse: Butterwegge demands change of course in Hamm

Wealth and poverty discourse: Butterwegge demands change of course in Hamm

In Germany, the topic of poverty is increasingly pushed into the background, while the focus falls on alarming property inequality. The Cologne political scientist Christoph Butterwegge, who has been dealing with this topic for many years, emphasizes that it is high time to tackle the debate about wealth

Butterwegge shows that there is a clinking contradiction in the social structure of the country: The wealthiest five families in Germany together have a fortune of around 250 billion euros. This is more than half of the assets that are overall in the hands of the population. For this reason, he describes this group as "hyper -rich". This unequal distribution is a central topic of his lecture, which will take place on Tuesday evening, October 8, in the Hamm adult education center, with the title: "Returning of wealth".

inequality in the German asset system

Butterwegge emphasizes the deeply rooted social inequality in Germany, which is manifested in the distribution of wealth. While a small minority of people is in possession of companies, banks and insurance companies, the majority of the population only rely on his workforce, which is often not sufficient to live an appropriate life. This becomes particularly difficult under the conditions of health or psychological impairments.

In addition, he points out the fact that the wealth tax in Germany has not been charged for over 25 years. This decision was made in 1997 when the Federal Constitutional Court decided that the assessment of real estate was too low. However, the wealth tax itself was not abolished; It is still in the Basic Law. Since then, political actors have not raised courage to reintroduce them.

"You can say that there is a tax policy according to the Matthew principle," explains Butterwegge and quotes a verse from the gospel: "Who has, you are given; whoever has little is still taken." This policy contributed to the fact that inequality has increased in society, which increases the split.

suggestions for reducing inequality

A central component of butterwegs views are concrete solutions to combat asset recovery. This includes a wealth tax to be introduced again and an increase in the minimum wage to at least 15 euros per hour. He argues that it is crucial to also involve employers more into the social security systems, since the burdens for health and pension insurance are increasingly moved to employees.

The lecture by Butterwegge begins on October 8th at 7 p.m. in the Hamm Adult Education Center, and admission is free of charge. This event could offer an important forum to think about the profound economic and social issues that currently affect Germany. Butterwegge is convinced that the admission of such topics in public discussion can take a first step towards change.

For more information on this topic, see the current reporting at www.lippewelle.de .