A Canadian province is about to start trialling universal basic income

OrbitalDawn

OrbitalDawn

Ulysses Everett McGill
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"The government remains committed to leaving no one behind."

People living in the Canadian province of Ontario could soon start receiving an unconditional allowance each month, with the government this week announcing that it'll begin trialling a pilot version of universal basic income in 2016.

The idea is that by giving everyone a set amount of money regularly, regardless of whether they need it or not, the government will increase the general standard of living, while greatly reducing the financial burden on those who fall through the cracks of the welfare system, such as stay-at-home mums (who often receive no compensation) or those who don't qualify for payments.

"As Ontario’s economy grows, the government remains committed to leaving no one behind," the government wrote in a budget statement this week. "Maintaining an effective social safety net is one part of the government’s broader efforts to reduce poverty and ensure inclusion in communities and the economy."

The government is now working with stakeholders and the community to nut out exactly what the pilot project will look like, so we don't have any specific details to go on just yet. But they're not the only ones looking to supplement or replace welfare payments with universal income - countries such as the Netherlands, India, Finland, and France are also trialling (or have trialled) similar projects.
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Gonna be interesting following this. I wonder what the population size is that would make the idea unworkable, or how scalable it is...would it work in the US? India...wonder how localized their trial will be.
 
Nice what can be done when tax money isn't endlessly looted by a few
 
Grabs popcorn. I've never seen a country crumble under communism. Should be fun to watch.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
Grabs popcorn. I've never seen a country crumble under communism. Should be fun to watch.
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Normally ends in the workers getting lazy. Eventually lesser overall GDP. More complacency......blah, blah, blah.

For stay at home mums it may be an option but then it's open to abuse.
 
If I was a tax paying person in Ontario(or in the whole Canada for that matter) I would take my wealth and run. Looters an moochers everywhere.
 
Nuke said:
If I was a tax paying person in Ontario(or in the whole Canada for that matter) I would take my wealth and run. Looters an moochers everywhere.
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Yep, as if the multitudes of lazy bums sitting on welfare isn't enough.
 
While France and the other countries are still doing their trials, this will be an interesting one to watch because of its proximity to the U.S. and due to how similar the economic conditions are, even with the Canadian dollar trading lower. The idea behind a basic income is to give people money that, if not used for rent or food or another basic necessity, can be saved and invested over time to grow individual wealth.

The value of the allowance will dictate how successful it is. People in generation X and Y are struggling financially, and keeping up with the price increases in the faltering economies across the globe isn't realistically possible without a safety net to keep people in their homes.

Read more here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...eration-y-guide-to-much-maligned-demographic; http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ng-age-divide-and-the-growing-pains-of-gen-y; http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/12/millennial-baby-boomer-trade-places-stab-envy
 
silver6933 said:
Or it would induce fiscal drag.
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That's an easier thing to deal with than having mounting unemployment, cripping debt levels for people trying to get by, and potential homelessness that spirals out of control.

Canada's current measures cut poverty levels by 27%, which is to say that if they didn't have free healthcare or education, and if their tax system wasn't stacked to benefit low-income households, 27% more households would be under the poverty line (a term that Canada's government constantly struggles to define). In 2009, 1 in 10 people in Canada were considered to be below the poverty line. If they shut down all their current systems and initiatives, it would increase to 3 in 10.

A family friend of ours is a registered nurse in Canada working at a retirement home, and earns more in a single day than I'd do in a week, yet she stays with her parents in order to keep up with debt repayments regardless. It's really crazy.
 
Will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Probably take a couple of years to see the effect of the policy.
 
Nuke said:
If I was a tax paying person in Ontario(or in the whole Canada for that matter) I would take my wealth and run. Looters an moochers everywhere.
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Everyone will get the allowance, even those that are working and paying taxes.
 
I don't want their money. I'll be perfectly happy if the government (any government) does not steal my money every month(both directly and indirectly) and just leave me to my own devices.
 
mintydroid said:
Normally ends in the workers getting lazy. Eventually lesser overall GDP. More complacency......blah, blah, blah.
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We all know how it's going to end. Should be a lot quicker this time, with every leach and their dog on twitter, looking for the next commie experiment to loot.

Nuke said:
I don't want their money. I'll be perfectly happy if the government (any government) does not steal my money every month(both directly and indirectly) and just leave me to my own devices.
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Ah, but according to lefty liberal ideology, only they know best - the average man the the street is obviously too stupid to take care of himself (and yet must still be saved from dying in a gutter :confused:)
 
Politicians should get a PhD in macroeconomics and 40 years of experience before uttering garbage about the economy.
 
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