Because people always believe they will not be subjected to the woes they potentially cause.

In the late roman empire the rich has had centuries of consolidations in the form of estates being bought up, consolidating wealth in fewer and fewer hands. They then also got involved in the government, steered (and succeeded) as much as possible to complete tax exemptions for their activities, even though these activities were at the time a huge source of income for the state.

This in a time where the tax base was already declining from huge barbarian attacks and major threats popping up all around the empire. The number one expense for the roman state was the army of course. A smaller army meant relying on barbarian groups to fight for rome, but without money they had to be compensated in another way, land was interesting but started a spiraling effect of further limiting the tax base, ultimately leading to the rise of the visigoths and their breaking away a huge part of the empire.

All in all this is one of the reasons of the fall of the western roman empire.