Implementing universal basic income could cut poverty rates up to 40%: PBO
Implementing universal basic income could cut poverty rates up to 40%: PBO
OTTAWA - The government's fiscal watchdog says a guaranteed basic income program at the federal level could cut poverty rates in Canada by up to 40 per cent.
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I am a proponent of UBI, but I'm also realistic about what it will likely look like in the future. The truth is that we do not really have a choice. We have to start working towards UBI.
If you want a realistic and likely scenario of what a global UBI implementation could look like, Iook no further than The Expanse book series (not well covered in the TV series).
I haven't read it yet, but I heard what it depicted wasn't actually UBI because you only get it if you are unemployed, and that it is a largely negative take on the concept
UBI in The Expanse was often referred to as "basic". Every citizen of Earth was entitled to "basic", full stop. Basic was enough to survive and not much more (food, shelter, ans no frills living). It is a floor below which you cannot sink. The "negativity" comes not from basic but from the fact that there just isn't enough work for everyone so there isn't a way to rise above basic for most. This is a reality we are going to face whether we implement a floor like UBI or not.
In other words, UBI is something we HAVE TO implement, but it isn't realistic to believe that it will make everyone's existence idyllic.
So If everyone gets enough money for just enough food and shelter to survive, how do you control that? What if someone gets that money and spends a little too much on something frivolous and can't afford the rent anymore? Do we still have homeless shelters and food banks to supply those that miss appropriate the funds given to them?
Also a logistical hurdle would be how do you determine who gets how much? Because food and shelter in Vancouver is a lot more expensive than food and shelter in small town Saskatchewan. Since living in Vancouver could be considered a luxury and not exactly necessary, do you only provide money for shelter outside of major metropolitan areas?