Nearly 200 Lib Dem activists signed up to join the “How to win with UBI” online event on Tuesday 9th March, organised in partnership between Lib Dems for Basic Income, the Social Liberal Forum, the Compass-hosted Basic Income Conversation, and justLiberals.
This was the first of three events being co-hosted by this partnership of organisations to explore what is arguably our biggest new party policy for some time.
The second event is What Kind Of UBI?, on 29th March, and this will be followed by an exciting conversation with Michael Tubbs, the man who introduced a Basic Income as Mayor of Stockton, California – with amazing results – and has now founded Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.
The first one on Tuesday featured an all-star cast – Canadian Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, UBI Lab Women Founder Tchiyiwe Chihana, London mayoral candidate Luisa Porritt, Wendy Chamberlain MP and Jane Dodds, leader of the party in Wales – being quizzed by Dr Ian Kearns, Director of the SLF, as to how they think we should be talking about Basic Income. You can read a full review of the event on justLiberals or watch the whole event back here:
* Jon Alexander is a member of the council of the Social Liberal Forum and of Sevenoaks, Dartford and Gravesham Liberal Democrats
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Great to see an ecosystem of voices growing up around this and that they are both within and outwith the party – LD4BI, Social Liberal Forum, justLiberals… and even venturing cross party by linking with Compass.
Has UBI been assessed or evaluated by the Institute for Fiscal Studies or any other similar body ?
Attached is an article which gives some data and background on an actual application of U.B.I.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/03/15/the-stockton-experiment-how-a-guaranteed-income-can-actually-solve-inequality/
The article linked to describing the Stockton trial makes it very clear that it was NOT “universal” basic income but Giaranteed Badic Income narrowly targeted and made available to specific groups.Based on its first year it looks to have been sufficiently successful to warrant trying a similar experiment in the UK,but it tells us little or nothing about the wisdom of implementing a truly UNIVERSAL basic income,which would necessarily involve clawing back that income in tax from the majority of the population who do not need it.
The Lords library has a summary of UBI with a useful list of references at the end https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus-and-the-case-for-a-universal-basic-income/
My view is that that we should be focusing on a guaranteed minimum income of £95 per week based on the current Universal credit basic allowance. it would be paid as a non-means tested allowance to all working age benefit claimants replacing the basic allowance, JSA, income support, carers allowance etc and be supplemented by disability and housing benefits as required. Taxpayers would received the £95 per week as a tax reducer in place of the existing personal allowance and NI threshold. Basic rate taxpayers would see an increase in take home pay but higher rate tax payers would have less tax relief than currently. The guaranteed basic income would also replace student maintenance loans/nursing bursaries etc.