Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Let earn according to merit' that was published in Newsband

Let earn according to merit

A most successful entrepreneur in Britain started a business, which is now the second largest in Britain and one of the largest online operations in the world. After paying all the taxes she is worth the £217m salary she paid herself this year? That made her Britain’s highest-paid executive. She built the business from nothing, through hard work and will power. She took nearly half the year’s profits as salary for herself.  

But her success makes a serious point about inequality. People who believe in social equality objected to her paying herself such a big part of the profit. If anyone deserves to be so rich, she does. Yet instinct tells us no one does, and instinct here is right, according to those who believe in social equality. But everyone has this instinct and it is called jealousy.

Yes she does deserve her salary. It is her company which she built from scratch, no doubt working long hours and taking risks to build her business. She is entitled to every penny.

Some are of the opinion that as we have a minimum wage we should have a maximum wage and the rest of the earnings go to taxes to support the nation or the company gets a choice to give a living wage to their employees who make the work that makes the profit.

By definition, she earned it so it is hers to do with as she pleases. By what right do you seek to deprive her? Where would such a right end? Many people would view your income as excessive and unnecessary, should they be entitled to take it from you? Are you arguing against the very concept of private property, that the state should be entitled to take whatever it wants (money, unoccupied houses etc) because it is "needed"?

If such rights are to become lawful you will find that her fabulous salary will not be available to build a new school or whatever, because it will no longer exist, and nor will the substantial tax revenue that she has generated.

Nobody is going to work to generate an income whereby they gross £1,000, but get to keep only £20. Better to just relax and don’t work.

One hopes she makes considerable, hefty and ongoing, charitable donations and also helps fund help centres for those who are gambling addicts. Undoubteldy, she can take what she likes in dividends and salary. What's the alternative? Give it away? She's already giving over 40% of it away in tax. She earned as per her merit. Let others too earn according to their merits.