> I'm afraid Mr. Yang has forgotten one of the most basic principles of economics: When you tax some behavior you get less of it This is true, but if you subsi

> I'm afraid Mr. Yang has forgotten one of the most basic principles of economics: When you tax some behavior you get less of it This is true, but if you subsidize some behavior, you also get more of it. And giving people $1000/month would certainly encourage consumer spending. It's not so simple as you are making it out to be: you're ignoring spillover benefits like an increase in entrepreneurial ventures that would create new jobs, as well as an increase in worker productivity that comes with better well-being as a result of UBI. Also, I'm of the belief that the VAT will become more valuable (in the sense of tax $ earned) over time, as margins will certainly increase as automation becomes more widespread - and VAT is a tax only on the margin that consumer goods producers earn.