[nivenkos]

Yeah everything is geared towards the aristocracy - like VAT and Income Tax are insanely high meanwhile there is often no land value tax, property tax, inheritance tax, wealth tax or gift tax at all.

And even capital gains are taxed far less than income.

I think it's more that the US was made up of immigrants so it got to start anew without a massive established aristocracy and monarchies.

[etiennebausson]

The U.S. have had centuries now to re-build dynasties, and they have, from industry to politics.

There is an issue on the capital gain / income in the E.U., but my understanding was that the U.S. was even worse in that regard (people can live of their salary through most of Europe).

[dukeyukey]

Although the UK, despite having a literal aristocracy and monarchy, has a near-identical percentage of self-made millionaires, markedly more than the Continental social democracies, where far more wealth is inherited.