Closing the Gap

Inequality is bad for everyone. The rich as well as the poor.

Research presented in the book ‘The Spirit Level’ shows that societies in which there is a greater parity between the most well-off and the least well-off are healthier than those with larger extremes of rich and poor.

In more unequal societies there is a greater occurrence of issues around mental health, teenage pregnancy, childhood obesity, imprisonment, domestic violence and a host of other indicators. Educational attainment is lower, physical health is worse and life expectancy lower in societies where there is a large division between the wealthiest and the poorest. (See www.equalitytrust.org.uk for more information and accompanying statistics)

The UK is already one of the most unequal countries in the world with the richest 20% being seven times better off than the poorest 20%. Since the 1980s the gap has continued to grow year on year.

The present public spending cuts will have a disproportional effect on the poorest people in the UK, and will only further widen this gap.

The recent budget commitments to see a £18bn cut in welfare and housing benefit are the largest proportional cuts in living memory, while £95bn remains lost to tax evasion and avoidance by businesses and wealthy individuals each year, with corporation tax reduced and a broken promise from the present government to clamp-down on tax avoidance.

Closing the gap between rich and poor will be better for everyone in the long run, but the present public spending cuts pointing us in the other direction. There are alternatives, and Church Action on Poverty are praying, campaigning and acting for this. If you want to know more visit the ‘Close the Gap’ section of the Church Action on Poverty website at www.church-poverty.org.uk/close-the-gap

(Information sourced from www.church-poverty.org.uk and www.pcs.org.uk)