Things like that are about political values and being far more left-leaning than America on average, not about punishing people. I'd personally benefit from having your point of view on taxes (i.e. I'm well off), but I still support higher taxes here in the UK for higher-earning people. I'm someone who plans to start my own company some day (but don't want to yet), who still supports higher tax rates for businesses. I'm someone who has never claimed state benefits (obviously state services, but not unemployment, disability, etc.) and hopefully never will, but still supports increasing those benefits being increased not decreased.