I don't agree. A trader, in RP and in game, would be more rich than a fighter pilot. If the fighter was a prolific contract killer / bounty hunter, they might earn some money, but nowhere near what a trader earns (unless they were really lucky with their contracts).
It makes sense. Traders and miners provide the server with opportunities for roleplay - a person completing missions doesn't provide as much. Most of the time, missions are only for setting a character up - so if you try and roleplay with someone doing them, you get told "//i'm doing missions buzz off"