Liberal MP Says Some Cabinet Ministers ‘Very Supportive’ Of Basic Income

[Charlemagne]

The prime minister said in December that basic income was something he didn’t see a path to move forward on at the time.

Liberal MP Says Some Cabinet Ministers ‘Very Supportive’ Of Basic Income

The prime minister said in December that basic income was something he didn’t see a path to move forward on at the time.

m.huffingtonpost.ca

UBI around the corner?

 

[Renus]

UBI around the corner?

Middle class people: YES. Mincome was renamed CERB/EI

Low income welfare: NO. Just hatred.

Ontario Works = 9000 / year or less - limit of savings to 10,000.
CERB = 500 a week / 26,000 a year plus unlimited savings.

Meanwhile - real cost of living 2.5%.
low income welfare - a less then 2% increase for 25 years. plus hate.

 

[basketcase]

When Yang started talking about it I wasn't buying in but the more I thought about it, the more sense it makes. the tax codes could be adapted so it is clawed back for people over the poverty line and the could simplify/save costs for the government by replacing services like welfare and employment insurance.

It also makes sense for some low wage earners. Under the current system, someone on welfare isn't making much less than a minimum wage earner. From a cynical perspective, why would someone work 40h per week at a McJob for little gain? The current system also means that people on welfare can't enter the workforce without losing their cheques so it doesn't make sense to take whatever part-time work you can find to get less. Under a UBI system, an entry-level part time job won't mean people lose money as the payments are not dependent on not working.

Taxed back for those who don't need it, cost savings by collapsing numerous government social services, and making it easier for people to leave the cycle of welfare.

 

[contact]

there will be no savings do you really think the government will reduce the number of workers? if anything they will increase for a new program, the liberals have increased the civil service employee numbers since they were elected, the same civil service that the liberals claimed couldn't possibly handle/deliver the program the Liberals gave to WE to run

 

[Valcazar]

When Yang started talking about it I wasn't buying in but the more I thought about it, the more sense it makes. the tax codes could be adapted so it is clawed back for people over the poverty line and the could simplify/save costs for the government by replacing services like welfare and employment insurance.

It also makes sense for some low wage earners. Under the current system, someone on welfare isn't making much less than a minimum wage earner. From a cynical perspective, why would someone work 40h per week at a McJob for little gain? The current system also means that people on welfare can't enter the workforce without losing their cheques so it doesn't make sense to take whatever part-time work you can find to get less. Under a UBI system, an entry-level part time job won't mean people lose money as the payments are not dependent on not working.

Taxed back for those who don't need it, cost savings by collapsing numerous government social services, and making it easier for people to leave the cycle of welfare.

I still think a job guarantee is a slightly better idea but UBI has a lot going for it.
I worked with a local NDP candidate - an economist - who put together a paper on it for Quebec. (Much harder to do on the provincial level.)
I am skeptical of the "collapsing numerous government social services" argument. A lot of those social services are against catastrophe and UBI wouldn't cover that. There are probably some you can fold in but the push for "it would get rid of all social programs" always seems to come from douchebag libertarians I don't trust to have looked at the reality.

In the end, that this has gone from "that's insane and no one should talk about it" to a real conversation is good in my view.