Wages suck

We need to go beyond a wage economy.

Salaries suck.

Wages suck.

Why? Because they never rise commensurate to the rate of inflation. Price increases are a constant, in an economy with inflation, which is just about every economy there is. However, wages never rise as easily, and when they do, not in ways that reflect similar price changes.

Fuel prices recently went up as they often do. Almost 50% of that charge comprises taxes. They even charge excise tax on fuel; tax which is charged to discourage use of a product, such as alcohol and tobacco. The government is discouraging us from using fossil fuels, on which the economy is currently dependent, without even giving a rat’s ass about improving infrastructure for other energy sources. They could be encouraging EVs from local innovators, easing import to setting up charging stations. I digress.

The petrol station owner clearly won’t be as affected since they’ll have passed down increased cost onto the consumer. They will similarly face higher prices of products and services, but they will have fatter pockets to counter. Business owners can also increase their prices to reflect the higher cost of production. Back to the petrol station: what about the fuel pump attendant? Who is on a salary? Will his wage rise in comparison to the times? No, they won’t. The same salary will have to contend with a rise in fuel price – which means a rise in fare and transport services, a rise in food prices, and a rise in the cost of other consumer goods.

Same situation for the petrol station manager, who’s also on a salary. Though s/he might be able to weather the storm better, the same situation still affects them.