In a way, Saudi Arabia and other oil producing Gulf states have had the longest running and most generous UBI scheme for decades when the state handed money to

In a way, Saudi Arabia and other oil producing Gulf states have had the longest running and most generous UBI scheme for decades when the state handed money to the citizens, had no taxation and created a system of sharing the Kingdom’s commons/resources. In return for a restrictive monarchy. My two take aways: 1. It would behoove other UBI aspiring countries to study and examine the success and the cautionary tale Saudi Arabia(et al) turned out to be. 2. They have an almost unlimited(turns out it is still limited) natural resource that could be nationalized to hand dividends to the public/citizenry.(Alaska does this on a smaller scale) Perhaps UBI shouldn’t be about redistribution of wealth money through taxation but nationalization of commons or resources to create a stream of revenue to fund UBI, negative taxation or covering the expenses of governing/running the country. NASA is a public sector enterprise. We have national parks that can be tourist magnets and nationalization of basic foods. A promising area is automation of Ag and vat/fermentation tank ‘meat’, our intellectual property that can be converted into a valuable commodity for international trade. Etc. From the article: [..] For Saudis used to a one-way flow of cash – from the state treasury to their wallets – these changes must feel strange. Since the 1970s oil boom, the kingdom has asked its citizens for little or no financial help. Saudis may not have enjoyed the right to elect their kings, but the monarchs sought legitimacy by channeling generous oil profits to provide juicy social benefits and tax-free salaries.[..] [..] It would seem that market-based reforms are inevitable. A researcher at a Riyadh investment bank told one of us that the kingdom wants to convert most of its $350 billion in yearly social welfare spending to cash stipends under the Citizens Account program.[..] Citizen Account Program of Saudi Arabia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen%27s_Account_Program_(Saudi_Arabia) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen%27s_Account_Program_...