CAPITALISM'S ACHILLES HEEL Dirty Money and How to

It’s the 70 to 90 Percent that Matters 263
the disparities currently prevailing in all the major developed countries.
By comparison, disparities within richer nations are shown in
Table 7.1.
No rich nation is anywhere close to a 31 to 1 gap. The reasons
for much lower disparity ratios are economic, social, and political
and beyond the scope of this book. But at a gut level, a 31 to 1 ratio
in a rich country would be insufferable, and should the gap ever rise
toward such numbers the hue and cry would be deafening. Taxes
would be raised on the upper class, and increased education, medical
coverage, support payments, and tax relief would—hopefully—be
directed to the disadvantaged.
TABLE 7.1 GAP BETWEEN TOP
AND BOTTOM QUINTILES
Japan 3.4
Finland 3.8
Norway 3.9
Sweden 4.0
Denmark 4.3
Germany 4.3
Belgium 4.5
Spain 5.4
Netherlands 5.5
France 5.6
Canada 5.8
Switzerland 5.8
Italy 6.5
United Kingdom 7.2
Portugal 7.9
United States 8.5
Source: Calculated from income
share data from World Development
Indicators 2004.