The future’s insecure for young people

Image by: Chris Devers

A poll last year found that people are delaying having families, because the future looks insecure.

Recently the Financial Times asked young people about their hopes for the future. It’s not only “just about managing” families facing an uphill struggle. According to the FT, it’s also company directors, city traders and computer programmers too.

The thing that unites these people is that they are young and have almost no chance of earning their way to wealth.

Having a good job is no longer a guarantee of a comfortable and secure lifestyle. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies pointed out this week, inheritance is set to be a key factor driving inequalities in future years. Whether you can afford to buy a place to live is increasingly determined by whether your parents own property.

This is made worse by the tax system. At Tax Justice UK, we’ve pointed out that wealth is taxed at a lower rate than income from work. This is just one way that the truly wealthy have access to unfair tax advantages.

It’s hard to see how governments can ignore this problem forever. And as the Financial Times' economics editor has said: "the left is winning the economic battle of ideas".

All parents and grandparents want the best future for their children. Everyone deserves a fair shot at building a secure life for themselves and their kids.

As we build back from Covid we will campaign to have a tax system that works for all of us. We will make sure this is an issue that stays at the top of the list for politicians.

​For a longer read on how access to wealth is key to understanding class in modern Britain take a look at this excellent essay from Christine Berry for the think tank Autonomy.

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