I think you're missing a bit of jargon. A transfer (wealth transfer) is one person getting richer and another poorer without either participating in economic ac

I think you're missing a bit of jargon. A transfer (wealth transfer) is one person getting richer and another poorer without either participating in economic activity. A gift of sorts. For example, social security is a transfer from workers to retirees. The nuance is that many government policies result in transfers indirectly. For example, the mortgage interest tax deduction sounds like a transfer from taxpayers to home buyers, but its real effect is a transfer to home sellers, which is slightly different. Not surprisingly, many government policies are indirect transfers from the general population to capital holders and the elderly, because that's who give money and vote.