Webbo Posted 29 January 2016 Posted 29 January 2016 Swiss government proposes paying everyone £1,700 a month whether they work or not in a bid to end poverty… Swiss residents are to vote on a countrywide referendum about a radical plan to pay every single adult a guaranteed income of £425 a week (or £1,700 a month). The plan, proposed by a group of intellectuals, could make the country the first in the world to pay all of its citizens a monthly basic income regardless if they work or not. But the initiative has not gained much traction among politicians from left and right despite the fact that a referendum on it was approved by the federal government for the ballot box on June 5. Interesting idea this which sounds like what the Greens were proposing during the election. Personally I think it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but it would be interesting to see how it works in practice. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3422775/Swiss-government-proposes-paying-1-700-month-work-not-bid-end-poverty-insists-people-want-job.html#ixzz3yeEWFd5G
Jon the Hat Posted 29 January 2016 Posted 29 January 2016 Tax credits for all essentially. Take more of your money in tax to give it back again. I suppose in theory at least if you use it to remove all means testing and assessment costs it could work. The greens couldn't explain it of course.
Webbo Posted 29 January 2016 Author Posted 29 January 2016 £425 per adult per week would be £850 a week for me and my missus. I could manage on that. I might do the odd job but I wouldn't work full time again.
RedSoxUK Posted 29 January 2016 Posted 29 January 2016 The Swiss are incredibly interesting. Don't think this will happen though.
yorkie1999 Posted 29 January 2016 Posted 29 January 2016 Is it possible to change my citizenship to Swiss, just wondering.
Rincewind Posted 29 January 2016 Posted 29 January 2016 Neatly four times what I get now. I'll take it. My retirement years would reflect what I worked 45 years for.
Finnaldo Posted 29 January 2016 Posted 29 January 2016 £425 that's not much less than I make per month
MC Prussian Posted 29 January 2016 Posted 29 January 2016 £425 per adult per week would be £850 a week for me and my missus. I could manage on that. I might do the odd job but I wouldn't work full time again. Don't forget cost of living is a lot higher in Switzerland than it is in the UK. On average, £1750 a month covers for rent and food supplies plus insurance, but not much else. The idea behind the initiative is that it should eliminate existential fear, whilst encouraging people to find more joy in work, look out for additional education or becoming independent and to chase after jobs they really want to fill out, as opposed to chase after the money and remain unhappy everafter in a strictly capitalist world. The initiative leaders also haven't made it clear enough what will happen with our system of social security - would it become obsolete? And who'd be paying for all this evenly spread money? Opposing forces also claim accepting this movement would mean the end of the appeal of work per se and the end of self-responsibilty. According to latest polls, a majority of the Swiss voters cannot imagine such a approach getting off the ground anytime soon. Personally, I think it's nonsense. But it does break ground for a healthy discussion about the importance and purpose of work overall.
Bryn Posted 30 January 2016 Posted 30 January 2016 Be interesting to see who'd do all their menial jobs.
Guest MattP Posted 30 January 2016 Posted 30 January 2016 If it was going to work anywhere it would be Switzerland. It clearing won't though and the Swiss will overwhelmingly throw it out.
SMX11 Posted 30 January 2016 Posted 30 January 2016 I can see the argument of removing all other benefits and replacing it with one payment but I assume this will be as well as the current set of benefits?
Webbo Posted 30 January 2016 Author Posted 30 January 2016 I can see the argument of removing all other benefits and replacing it with one payment but I assume this will be as well as the current set of benefits? I wouldn't have thought so. It'd be interesting to see what the figure for the UK would be if they took all the welfare costs and divided it by the adult population.
act smiley Posted 5 February 2016 Posted 5 February 2016 It'd work out at about £5k/year I think. The problem is you can't really do that, because of stuff like the disabled etc.
Webbo Posted 5 February 2016 Author Posted 5 February 2016 £1700 pre tax or after tax? The way the Green were explaining it during the election was taxed. If you were under the thresh hold you wouldn't pay any tax but if you were earning you'd be taxed on it as part of your wages.
Guest MattP Posted 5 February 2016 Posted 5 February 2016 To be fair though the Greens were 780billion out of their cost estimate after some inquisitive questioning from Andrew Neil.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.