Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett has long advocated for policies that support working-class families, emphasizing that the economic divide is not a result of the rich exploiting the poor.

Buffett, whose net worth is estimated at $137 billion, addressed income inequality in a 2015 Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

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He declared, “No conspiracy lies behind this depressing fact: The poor are most definitely not poor because the rich are rich.” Buffett emphasized that wealthy individuals like Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, and Sam Walton have significantly contributed to society’s well-being through their innovations and managerial expertise. Instead, he attributed the widening wealth gap to the “inevitable consequence of an advanced market-based economy.”

Buffett expressed that improving education won’t work fast enough or go far enough to address income inequality. He also believes that fighting to raise the minimum wage, a popular proposal among many on the left, won’t bridge the gap and may backfire by hurting employment. “The better answer,” he said, is an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which offers a credit starting from the first dollar earned, increasing up to a ceiling before phasing out.

Since his opinion piece, Buffett has consistently supported the EITC as a crucial policy to aid low-income families. In a 2019 interview, he emphasized the EITC’s role in helping individuals who, despite working hard, remain disadvantaged by the economic system.

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The 2024 adjustments to the EITC, which increase the maximum credit to $7,830 for families with three children, reflect incremental improvements but fall short of Buffett’s comprehensive vision for the program. Additionally, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) has seen bipartisan support. New proposals aim to lift around 400,000 children out of poverty and improve the conditions of millions more in its first year.

Buffett’s advocacy highlights the importance of government intervention in addressing economic disparities. Some agree the EITC is a critical tool, but others advocate for a more aggressive approach, like raising the minimum wage or taxing the wealthy.

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This article Warren Buffett Says It’s A Fact: ‘The Poor Are Most Definitely Not Poor Because The Rich Are Rich’ — But Proposes A Solution originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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