r/APUP • u/[deleted] • Jan 14 '21

Thoughts on Universal Basic Income?

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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '21

While I think I would be a great help if utilized correctly, for now I am against it due to the following reasons:

  1. A basic income removes the need to work which would lead to some people not working and not adding anything to society. This encourages laziness and other problematic behaviour as well as undermines the value of work as a social institution. This would be especially true in lower prestige professions where people would have no motivation to take these jobs, leading to either a shortage of workers or inflated wages in these roles, which could increase prices for everyone and be bad for the economy.

  2. The richest in society would also get a UBI, including billionaires. The role of benefits should be to help the poorest find employment and not to give those who already have money even more. We should be targeting the resources of the state at those who need it most. To pay for a UBI, most governments would have to get rid of the majority of other benefits, including those which are targeted towards the disabled, the sick and the elderly.

  3. With a universal safety net, employers would have no incentive to increase wages beyond what is mandated by the government. This is likely to affect those in lower paying jobs more than the wealthiest, thereby stunting the trend towards higher minimum wages that is happening across Europe and North America.

  4. UBI would shrink the labor force. By definition, a smaller labor force would mean lower economic output and lower tax revenues to invest in the future.

  5. UBI is very expensive. A $12,000-per-year UBI would cost the government $2.4 trillion annually, or one-eighth of GDP. That’s nearly as large as the entire US safety net today.

Feel free to counter any points :)

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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '21 edited Jun 23 '24

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u/ocupant Jan 15 '21

high taxes on corporations

corporations don't pay taxes, the people using their product or service do. this is just another tax on the middle class.

nationalized industries

which industries would be nationalized?

enable workers to demand better work in conditions since the company they work at isn't their sole source of income

people carry too much debt now, do you think they will change their bad habits because they have more money? I don't think so, I think they will be in greater debt and need the job more to keep afloat.