3 ms·

There's no way to make the numbers work if BI is funded by just redirecting existing welfare programs.

• orangecat 10y ago
  Right, any reasonable implementation will result in people with higher incomes having their taxes increased by more than the BI amount. And I think that's a trade a lot of conservatives and libertarians would accept: more redistribution in exchange for less intrusiveness and greater efficiency.
  • hueving 10y ago
    Giving everyone basic income of $10k in the US would be about 2.5T annually (assuming children get nothing). Current tax revenue is only 3.6T and we spend $200-$300B on welfare (assuming you exclude Medicare/Medicade) so it would be a 10x increase in spending on welfare and a 60%-70% tax increase. I'm not even that conservative and I think that's ridiculous for an amount of money that doesn't even cover the rent in most cities.
  • greedo 10y ago
    Conservatives and Libertarians would never accept BI. Look at how hard they've fought welfare in general.