Quote from stock777:
the poor pay next to nothing in inflation 'tax'.
the transfer payments (ie, welfare , food stamps, free medical care) by necessity track inflation, and since they have no assets or cash, there's nothing to lose to inflation.
its all being funded by those of us with capital.
I think you are essentially right about the very poor,i.e., those on food stamps and free medical care with no income whatsoever beyond what you and I give them via the government. However consider those folks just above the poverty line, and there are millions, that are making a little too much to qualify for food stamps or medicaid, and at the end of each month have virtually no disposable income after paying for the necessities of life (food, shelter, clothing, energy, transportation). For these folks, the inflation tax takes a big cut. Remember that wage increases have lagged overall inflation for many years, and this is a factor in pushing folks out of the bottom tier of the middle class and into poverty. Most of the poor, those below the poverty line, are working at some menial low wage job. Even if they qualify for assistance they will pay the inflation tax. There is no escape from that except for those whose entire income is inflation indexed, and even in that case some inflation tax is paid because the government's method of computing inflation underestimates overall inflation in the economy. (This saves billions naturally when it comes to indexing entitlements.)
It seems Telozo had a very good point. The poor really don't have any assets to speak of, whereas the assets of the wealthy do offer some inflation protection.
I am still holding to my basic position that inflation is more harmful to those at the lower end of the income spectrum than it is to those at the top. But I am willing to be convinced otherwise. For myself, I'd rather see a more honest approach to taxation. Less deficit driven inflation and more direct taxation. Then we might be a little more demanding that the government exercise fiscal restraint. Hiding excessive military and medical spending, and corporate welfare too!, behind inflation is making it too easy to spend money that isn't there.
(I'm not defending welfare moms with 4 out of wedlock offspring, nor their irresponsible male cohorts. Just making an observation about inflation and its different impact on parts of the economic spectrum.)