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My hunch is that costs of services will increase while consumables remain flat. Australia has a complex minimum wage system, but 20 AUD is typical and on the or
by 0xfaded 10y ago
My hunch is that costs of services will increase while consumables remain flat. Australia has a complex minimum wage system, but 20 AUD is typical and on the order of 15 USD. The result is that services such house cleaners, laundromats and car detailing are order 3 times expensive as in the US, however produce and imported goods (Australia continues to systematically kill off its domestic manufacturing capability) are more or less comparable with US prices.
Maybe its just a SV thing, but having my (share) house maintained by an army of Latinos for a fraction of my income makes me feel incredibly uneasy. The other one that gets me are the car washes along El Camino where white people drink coffee as their cars are tended to by Latinos.
Basic income will kill businesses that rely on cheap labour, as suddenly incremental incentive to work will be minimal at $9/hour (why work only to double my anual income?). To restore the incentive wages will also need to rise, and the net result will be more expensive services accessed by a smaller percentage of the highest earners.
- skybrian 10y agoI think that depends on how unpleasant the job is. Doubling your income sounds pretty good, actually. On the margin, basic income gives people a bit more freedom to make their own choices. I think the price for services in Silicon Valley would go up, but I suspect more because people can take basic income with them when moving somewhere cheaper. With the extra money, low wage/low cost places are likely to become more popular.