5 ms·

Most countries give so many tax rebates to low-income individuals it's essentially UBI. Welfare, food stamps, unemployment insurance, lowest taxable income leve

• droopyEyelids 6y ago
  It's a really interesting point because, at least in the USA, we sort of make people work for their 'tax rebates'. They have to fill out complicated tax forms (really, a tax preparation company fills it out and takes a cut) to get rebates like EITC. They have to spend time visiting government offices to renew their food stamps. They have to be subject to relatively invasive life inspections for welfare- and 'workfare' programs that require people to leave their house, put their kids in daycare, and rake leaves for 8 hours a day are always going in and out of fashion, with over half the states usually implementing a form of that program under some name. I feel like if it were my choice, I'd like to get a little less money but have it 'guaranteed' without a bunch of time obligations that would interfere with my attempts to raise my kids, learn a skill, or get a basic job. Of course, 80%+ of people in the USA who are in poverty are children, carers, disabled or the elderly, so it's not like they're learning a new skill or trying to find other work. Their time is still valuable though.
• _ink_ 6y ago
  Actually it is a little more than the minimum wage, when you consider taxes and social insurances. The 18,000€ minimum wage net you 13,600€ a year or 1,133€ a month. The money from the UBI experiment is a gift and the recipients do not need to pay taxes on that. Not sure if they need to pay for the social insurances