Re:Finland ends Basic Income trial
by DataWorker on Tuesday April 24, 2018 @03:31AM
(#16910632)
The more serious proposals I’ve heard are for revenue neutral ubi. Which means taking the money from current entitlements and giving it evenly to everyone. I’d love to hear a real economist who supports the idea and is in favor of paying for ubi by raising taxes on the wealthy. I do not know of any economists that fit that description.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
On the contrary. Most of the "revenue neutral" claims I've heard are Americans making a politically-motivated claim to reduce libertarian/conservative opposition. Actual concrete proposals always require taxation - see e.g. the Swiss proposal (voted down in a referendum because of the taxation requirements) and this [1] overview in the Economist of the prospects of adoption in other countries.
Generally, if I see a claim that a proposal for UBI is revenue neutral, I assume they're either a) left-wing Americans trying to sneak welfare hikes by right-wing Americans, or b) right-wing Americans trying to sneak a drop in net income transfer to the poor past left-wing Americans.
[1] https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2016/06/e...