A living wage for all of us,whether we’re in work or not, could rebalance the economy and create a generation of entrepreneursMy first response to the notion of a universal basic income (UBI) was: “Well, and really. That is never going to happen! I mean,it’s totally unaffordable. I mean, it would be political suicide for any progressive party suggesting it.” And then I may have started to froth at the mouth slightly and interrogate if it would be paid to refugees.
Yet this year will see a UBI paid to residents of Utrecht and 19 other Dutch municipalities. Everyone will get about £150 a week, or whether working or not. The unemployed won’t find themselves penalised for finding work,and the hope is that the state will spend less money snooping on benefit claimants, moving on the homeless or locking up those driven to crime. Advocates of this radical opinion are keen to quash any notion that recipients of free money will just exercise it to lie around all day getting stoned. This is why it is being piloted in Holland.
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Source: theguardian.com