Comments on: Want a more equal society? Universal Basic Income might not be the policy you are looking for

By: Calgacus

Calgacus — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 19:18:00 +0000

No, your thinking is completely correct. You are even saying it in almost the same words that MMT economist Randall Wray has used to criticize the UBI!

The amount of the UBI becomes the fee for entering the capitalist, monetary economy. At best, the UBI changes nothing (after setting off an explosion of inflation) So UBI is at best worthless, in reality highly destructive. The real idea is to replace genuine, beneficial welfare state structures with fake ones, while enriching plutocrats. Then when the unworkable bullshit illusion fails, plutocrats and their politicians cry crocodile tears over the plight of the lesser people they just crushed.

By: MC

MC — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 17:58:00 +0000

For me, the UBI has some noble goals – especially increasing the freedom of citizens to reject bad employment terms and to have more options in how they live their lives.

The question I have is: how can UBI succeed in these goals when we have inelastic scarcity of a universally necessary resource … like housing! ?

It’s well known that, because of housing shortages, competition between house-hunters will raise prices up to the very limit of affordability.

Surely, after the introduction of a UBI, won’t typical monthly housing costs soon rise by approximately the amount of said UBI, making everybody no better off (except for those who already own the most expensive home they’ll ever have) ?

Therefore could people really attain the option of freedom from full-time work?

If there’s a known answer to this point, please let me know, as I haven’t yet thought of one.

By: Howard Green

Howard Green — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 11:29:00 +0000

So I agree that current proponents of UBI have different visions and different motivations. So what exactly? Any proposal to change the benefit and tax system will end up being a compromise between multiple visions. UBI is not as it stands a policy, more just a direction for possible policies. People have different needs: most importantly in the UK in respect of housing and disability. I also don’t think anyone should expect a simple fix for inequality. A central part of any fix is to make rich people pay more tax. Received wisdom is that this can’t be done, but the Nordic countries already do pretty well. The single biggest change in this regard would be the restoration of inheritance tax at high levels.
Having said that, UBI does seem like a promising idea. Simplifying tax and benefits and reducing inequality are worthwhile objectives even if nirvana will not happen soon. Nor do I think UBI at useful levels requires the end of capitalism, desirable though that may be. Capitalism is clearly showing its limitations as a social system. The work of replacing it is a work of several generations (assuming ecological disaster can be avoided that long)

By: alan johnstone

alan johnstone — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 00:55:00 +0000

Worth a read is also this sceptical article from a Marxist group

https://antinational.org/en/what-wrong-free-money/