Could you bring yourself to back a basic income? Inspired by a series of posts on B.I., including the one linked to below – Your thoughts appreciated! Its not a new idea as such, but more and more people are taking it seriously: the concept of a basic income. As a citizen, you receive an automatic, no means-testing payout for regular living expenses. Scrap the entire current system of pensions, JSA, housing benefit, tax credits, etc. and replace it with a one-off payment. It may vary depending on married status, age, dependants… but the basic idea is the same. The point this article makes so well is that even if there are enormous problems introducing a basic income, those problems aren’t really in the expense of giving everyone money every month. The main problem is our instinctive reaction to the concept of ‘money for nothing’.

Almost everyone has when they first examine the idea (myself included):

‘But you have to work – how can you get paid and not work? It just doesn’t make any sense… surely we’d be lazy and not bother doing anything?’

The short answer is no. Even with minimum wage jobs which we might dream of dropping at the first glimpse of economic freedom, most people would keep them. They can meet new friends, gain new skills, keep the helpful routine of a daily shift in their life, without the pressure of knowing that they must keep this job. If they need to stop working for maternity/paternity leave, no big deal (and no parental leave needs to be paid – basic income would cover it). All ‘unpaid’ work like looking after kids suddenly becomes paid for. Where does all this ‘handout’ money go? Straight back into the UK economy, spent on rent/mortgage, food and other basics. We’ll still work – on top of the more honest reasons outlined above, a B.I. will give us ‘enough money’ to live, and most of us would like at least a little extra for our own preferences. If you need to study for a new job or career, there would be no need to worry about student living grants (and their current absence in the UK…).

I’d never say a basic income is a flawless concept or that it wouldn’t create at least some problems. It’s untried on a national scale (though small tests in the USA, Canada, Netherlands and Switzerland seem ok so far), and no system is perfect.

All I’d ask is that you think about it, and challenge the admittedly instinctive idea: do we have to have a salary, monthly payments of tax and hire purchases, mortgages, benefit payments, loans and grants… or is it necessary?

If it could be afforded, would it be worth it?