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    The Case for a Basic Income
    The Case for a Basic Income
    The Case for a Basic Income
    Ebook71 pages54 minutes

    The Case for a Basic Income

    By Robert Jameson

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    About this ebook

    The Basic Income is, for many people, a very appealing idea: Pay every citizen a fixed, non-means-tested amount every week, sufficient to pay for essentials.

    The potential advantages of such a system are enormous. The basic income could replace a wide range of existing means-tested benefits and result in a massive reduction in bureaucracy, huge cost-savings and greatly improved economic incentives. And it would be a kinder, more civilised way to help people out of poverty.

    Unfortunately, debates about the basic income are often quickly closed down by criticisms that rely on false or misleading assertions - and which often arise out of a lack of understanding of some fairly basic economics.

    This book aims to expose the flaws in these criticisms and explain, in plain English, the huge potential benefits of a basic income system, how it could easily be afforded and how it might best be introduced.

    The opportunity to introduce a basic income is a fantastic opportunity to transform our society for the better. It is an opportunity we should consider most carefully.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRobert Jameson
    Release dateMay 14, 2016
    ISBN9781524271800
    The Case for a Basic Income

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      Book preview

      The Case for a Basic Income - Robert Jameson

      Table of Contents

      The Basics

      The Benefits

      Is It Affordable?

      Millionaires

      Incentives

      Wages

      Pensions

      Housing

      Other Issues

      In Context

      Ethics

      A New Philosophy

      Delivery

      My Website

      The Case for a Basic Income

      by Robert Jameson

      Copyright 2016

      Warnings and Disclaimers: Please bear in mind that this is a book intended to explore ideas. It contains intelligently-considered opinions, but should not be relied upon as a source of factual information of any kind.

      The Basics

      In its simplest form, a Basic Income is a regular, tax-free, fixed amount of money paid to every citizen of a country. It would probably be paid once a week and should be sufficient to meet people's essential needs.

      Its defining characteristic is that, unlike almost every other form of benefit payment, it is entirely non-means-tested. It doesn't matter what your income is. You don't have to prove you need the money. You don't have to prove you're looking for work. Every citizen gets it - regardless of their circumstances.

      It is a simple idea, but it is also a radical idea, because it would involve a dramatic departure from the way state benefits are currently distributed in most countries. 

      Perhaps what makes it a particularly interesting and fascinating idea, however, is the fact that it appears to provoke such a vast range of different - and sometimes rather extreme - reactions.

      To some people, it is a wonderful idea - not just a policy with many great practical benefits, but an idea with the potential to transform the very nature of our economies - and societies - for the better.

      To others, it is a terrible idea, worthy only of derision and ridicule. And some even regard it as a dangerous idea - even as one that could precipitate economic disaster and societal collapse.

      A basic income could represent a revolution - for good or evil - according to who you speak to. So, is it the key to a brighter future - or is it ridiculous, unaffordable and dangerous, as some people claim?

      Well, I'm not going to make the answer a subject of cheap suspense. I'm clear that I think Basic Income is an excellent idea, capable of helping us deal effectively with all sorts of problems and greatly enhancing our potential for economic success.

      Unfortunately, debates about the basic income are often quickly closed down by criticisms that rely on false or misleading assertions. People are frightened off the idea by claims and arguments which are seriously flawed and based on misunderstandings. We shouldn't allow ourselves to be held back in this way.

      The case for a basic income is often poorly understood and sometimes poorly presented. Although the most prominent arguments against it are deeply flawed, even some of its main supporters seem unsure on key questions - such as how it could be paid for.

      In this book, I will explore what the key benefits of a basic income system might be. I will also be dissecting the main arguments made against the idea of a basic income and I will be debunking some of the common myths that are used to ridicule the idea. And I will consider how a basic income might best be introduced.

      Of course, there may be perfectly reasonable people who oppose the basic income - but our debates should be intelligent, informed debates. We should be debating the real benefits and potential drawbacks of a basic income - not relying on ludicrous myths that have little or no basis in economic reality. I want to offer my expertise as a skilled economist to help people on all sides of the debate to separate reasonable concerns from scaremongering nonsense.

      Different people may mean slightly different things when they refer to the idea of a basic income. The basic idea is that it will be paid to all working-age adults. But will it also be paid to pensioners? Will it be paid to children?

      So, to avoid confusion and help us focus on the fundamentals, rather than the details of different potential schemes, I want to be clear that, in this book, I'm going to be referring to a very simple basic income system that would work as follows:

      Every working-age adult citizen would receive the same basic income payment every week. A smaller basic income, known simply as Child Benefit, will be paid for each child. Pensioners will receive a higher basic income, known as the Basic Pension.

      There are slightly different, alternative arrangements that could be made and which could still be referred to as a basic income system, but this is the system I will be referring to in this book.

      The idea of a basic income - also known as a 'Citizen's Income' is not a new one. And when it is occasionally proposed, it is often hastily dismissed and largely forgotten about, sometimes for many years. And yet it is an idea that, no matter how savagely it is criticised or ridiculed, nevertheless keeps on cropping back up again.

      It is currently experiencing

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