Variants of the basic income guarantee (BIG): humanistic or neoliberal.

The basic income guarantee (BIG) can be introduced with very different aims, realizations and consequences:

Humanistic:

  • Aim: Basic income, so that every citizen can participate always in democracy, society, knowledge society
  • Aim: Simplification of all social and tax systems for more transparency, accountability and understanding by the citizens; thereby more efficiency
  • Amount of BIG: Enough to pay for basic needs in life (food, place to live) plus a little surplus for individual spending/investing
  • Incentive to work: Every additional income in addition to BIG increases the available income (no matter how high the current income is: same tax rate)
  • Achievements: Usage of education system, health system, state infrastructure: always free for everyone, so this does not have to be paid individually with BIG
  • Consequence: Stronger negotiating position for individual citizens in relation to companies and lobbies, and to the state agencies of the simplified social and tax systems
  • Consequence: Democratic state and social market economy continue to exist and are improved
  • Consequence: A fair and simple tax system that is equally enforced with every person and entity and every transaction — including companies and the financial sector

Neoliberal:

  • Aim: Basic income, so that one amount replaces all obligations of the state
  • Aim: Privatization of all social systems for more efficiency, personal responsibility
  • Amount of BIG: Enough to pay for basic needs in life (food, place to live) plus a little more surplus for individual spending/investing
  • Incentive to work: BIG is not enough to ensure education and health for oneself and family
  • Achievements: Usage of education system, health system, infrastructure: All of this has been privatized and has to be paid for individually (if you are able to afford it / if the service even exists where you live)
  • Consequence: Stronger dependency of individual citizens on employers and on private vendors of formally state infrastructures
  • Consequence: Democratic state is de facto abolished because of almost complete privatization, social market economy exists as yet
  • Consequence: A tax system that is company-/lobby-oriented

 


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