نبذة موجزة عن الدخل الأساسي 

الأصل: الفكرة, التجمع, الجائزة.

في خريف 1983, قرر كل من بول ماري بولانجر وفيليب ديفيت وفيليب فان باريج, ثلاثة باحثين شباب تابعين لأقسام الديموغرافيا والإقتصاد والفلسفة بجامعة لوفان (بلجيكا) تشكيل مجموعة عمل من أجل استكشاف الآثار المترتبة على تطبيق فكرة بسيطة للغاية وغير تقليدية, لكنها جذابة والتي اقترح فان باريج تسميتها في ورقة تم تداولها في كانون الأول من عام 1982 “عالمية التخصيص”.

أختارت المجموعة بالإجماع اسما مستعارا: ‘مجموعة شارلز فورييه’ . كان باكورة إنتاجها إصدار عدد خاص من المجلة الشهرية الصادرة في بروكسل  La Revue nouvelleفي نيسان (ابريل) 1985

تابعت المجموعة مسيرتها, فأحرزت جائزة نتيجة عرضها لفكرتها وتداعياتها المحتملة وقد تم ذلك بشكل استفزازي في مسابقة حول مستقبل العمل نظمتها مؤسسة King Baudoun ومقرها بروكسل.

اللقاء الأول.بنتيجة الدخل غير المتوقع, قررت مجموعة تشارلز فورييه أن تنظم مؤتمرا تدعوا اليه بعض من تناولوا منفردين فكرة الدخل الأساسي غير المشروط. كان هذا المؤتمر أول مؤتمر دولي حول الدخل الأساسي, دعا اليه فيليب فان باريج في مدينة لوفين لانيف الجامعية بتاريخ 4-6 أيلول (سبتمبر) من عام 1986 بحضور ستون مشاركا تمت دعوتهم بصورة منفردة. إتضح فيما بعد أنه كان حدث غير عادي حقا, حيت تم التعارف فيما بين العديد من الباحثين المنفردين في هذا المضمار. ومن ضمن هؤلاء: جونار أدلر كارلسون, جان أوتو أندرسون, يولاند بريسون, بول دي بير, الكسندر دي رو, روشين كاليندر, نك دوبين, ماري لويز دوبوين, جيرارد رولاند, إيان غوف, بيير جون كييري, بيل جوردان, غريتيجي لوبي, آني ميلر, إدوين مورلي فليتشر, كلاوس أوفي, هيرميون باركير, ريكاردو بيتريللا, يافيد بيردي, غي ستاندينج, روبرت فان دير فين, جورج فوبروبا و توني والتر.

نشوء الشبكة. مع وصول المؤتمر إلى جلسته الختامية, أعرب العديد من المشاركين عن رغبتهم في تأسيس منظمة دائمة تعني بإصدار نشرة دورية وعقد مؤتمرات منتظمة. أقترح جاي ستانديج تسمية هذه المنظمة بالشبكة الأوروبية للدخل الأساسي, ونال الأسم إجماعا مقبولا, حيث لم يكن بالإمكان منافسة جمال الإختصار  BIEN  , والذي يعني ” جيد ” باللغتين الفرنسية والإسبانية. تم تحديد الهدف من المنظمة وتضمن ذلك في النظام الأساسي لها والمعتمد في العام  1988 على الشكل التالي:

“تهدف   BIEN    إلى العمل كحلقة إتصال بين الأفراد والجماعات المهتمة بالدخل الأساسي, أي الدخل الممنوح على أساس فردي للجميع بلا شروط وبدون إختبار للإمكانات وبدون أن يتطلب ذلك أي عمل. وتعمل على تعزيز النقاش المتعمق حول هذا الموضوع في كل أنحاء أوروبا “.

وشغر كل من بيتر أشبي (المجلس الوطني للمنظمات التطوعية), كلاوس أوفي (وبعدها في جامعة بريمن) وجاي ستاندينج (وبعدها في منظمة العمل الدولية) أول امناء لمنظمة  BIEN  . وشغر والتر فان ترير (بعدها في جامعة أنتويرب) سكرتيرا, كما شغر ألكسندر دي رو (بعدها مساعدا برلمانيا في البرلمان الأوروبي) أمين صندوق,  وشغر فيليب فان باريج (جامعة لوفان) محرر النشرة الإخبارية إضافة إلى سكرتيرا, وبقي كل من اشبي وأوف كمشاركين, وقد خلفهما في عام 1988 إدوين مورلي فليتشر (1988-1998 ) وجاي ستاندينج (1986-2008) .

شريان حياة الشبكة: النشرة الإخبارية:

في حقبة ماقبل الأنترنت, شكل توريع النشرة الإخبارية المطبوعة بصورة منتظمة جوهر وجود الشبكة. ف نشرت  BEIN  خلال الفترة الممتدة بين عام 1988 الى تموز عام 2001 , 36 عددا من نشرتها الإخبارية المطبوعة والتي كانت تصدر ثلاث مرات في العام ويتم توزيعها على الأعضاء المشتركين والمسددين للرسوم. في خريف 1998 تم استبدال العضوية السنوية بالعضوية مدى الحياة وذلك لتسهيل إدارة الإشتراكات.

أتاح ظهور الاتصالات الألكترونية إلى تكثيف وتوسيع انتشار المعلومات, وصار إبتداء من كانون الثاني عام 2000  يتم ارسال مقتطفات من أخبار  BEIN  عدة مرات في العام إلى عدد كبير من المشتركين ( 138 عددا مابين كانون الثاني من عام 2000 وكانون الثاني من عام 2020, حيث اعتمدت فيها  BEIN نمطا جديدا من النشرة). في عام 1996 أنشأت  BEIN  موقعا على شبكة الإنترنت فأضاف قليلا على النشرات الإخبارية ومقاطع إخبارية سريعة يمكن تنزيلها. وتطور الموقع لاحقا بسرعة ليقدم ثروة من المعلومات والمراجع حول الدخل الأساسي وحركة الدخل الأساسي.

مؤتمرات بآفاق متنامية. مع بداية المؤتمر التأسيسي, صارت  BIEN  تنظم مؤتمرا كل عامين بمشاركة مجموعة متزايدة ومتنوعة من الأفراد:

  1. Louvain-la-Neuve, BE (UCLouvain, 4-6 September 1986, convenor: Philippe Van Parijs)
  2. Antwerp, BE (Universitaire Faculteiten St Ignatius, 22-24 September 1988, convenor: Walter Van Trier)
  3. Florence, IT (European University Institute, 19-20 September 1990, convenor: Edwin Morley-Fletcher)
  4. Paris, FR (Université de Paris-Val de Marne, 18-19 September 1992, convenors: Yoland Bresson & & Pierre Lavagne)
  5. London, UK (Goldsmith College, 8-10 September 1994, convenor: Richard Clements)
  6. Vienna, AT (United Nations Centre, 12-14 September 1996, convenors: Lieselotte Wohlgenannt, Michael Tepser & Bernd Marin)
  7. Amsterdam, NL (Universiteit van Amsterdam, 10-12 September 1998, convenors: Robert J. van der Veen, Loek Groot & Paul de Beer)
  8. Berlin, DE (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin), 6-7 October 2000, convenor: Claus Offe)
  9. Geneva, CH (International Labour Office, 13-14 September 2002, convenor: Guy Standing)
  10. Barcelona, ES (Forum Universal de las Culturas, 19-20 September 2004, convenors: David Casassas & Jose Noguera)

أرشيف من الأيام الأولى. تم نشر المساهمات التي قدمت في بعض المؤتمرات في عدد من المجلدات:

  • Anne G. Miller ed. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Basic Income (Louvain-la-Neuve, September 1986). Antwerp: BIEN & London: BIRG, 1988.
  • Walter Van Trier ed. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Basic Income(Antwerp, September 1988). Antwerp: BIEN & London: BIRG, 1990
  • Philippe Van Parijs ed., Arguing For Basic Income. Ethical Foundations for a Radical Reform. London & New York: Verso, 1992.
  • Robert J. van der Veen & Loek Groot eds., Basic Income on the Agenda. Policy Options and Political Feasibility, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2000.
  • Guy Standing, ed., Promoting Income Security as a Right. Europe and North America, London: Anthem Press, 2004.

إلى جانب العديد من الكتب والأوراق والتقارير الأخرى حول الدخل الأساسي لحقبة ماقبل الأنترنت, يتم الإحتفاظ بالأوراق المقدمة في مؤتمرات  BIEN الأوائل في أرشيف  BJEN في:

UCLouvain’s Hoover Chair of Economic and Social Ethics, 3 Place Montesquieu, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

من شبكة أوروبية إلى شبكة عالمية.

بحلول عام 2004, صار  %20 من عدد المشتركين عبر الأنترنت و %25 من أعضاء  BIEN  الدائمين من خارج أوروبا, فازدادت بذلك الضغوط لتحويل شبكة   BIEN  من شبكة أوروبية إلى شبكة عالمية, وساعدت تطور الاتصالات عبر الأنترنت وأنخفاض أكلاف السفر الجوي إلى اعتبار هذا الخيار أكثر واقعية.

في كانون الثاني (يناير) 2004, وقع الرئيس البرازيلي لولا على إقتراح السناتور إدواردو سوبليسي بشأن ” دخل المواطنة الأساسي” لجميع البرازيليين. وضع هذا الإقتراح حدا للمشككين الذين كانوا على قناعة بأن الدخل الأساسي غير المشروط لايمكن أن يعني شيئا إلا في الدول الأوروبية حيث الرفاهية والتقدم. أقترحت اللجنة التنفيذية ل  BIEN  تغيير اسم الشبكة من “الشبكة الأوروبية للدخل الأساسي” إلى “شبكة الدخل الأساسي”, وتم أعتماد هذا الإقتراح من قبل الجمعية العامة ل   BIEN في 20 أيلول (سبتمبر) 2004.

هيكلة الحركة.

تعهدت اللجنة المنتخبة الجديدة بتعديل النظام الأساسي وتوسيعه (لم يتجاوز الصفحة الواحدة في حينها) ووافقت الجمعية العامة على نسخة جديدة في عام 2008. نظرا لنمو الشبكة, كان لابد من زيادة حجم اللجنة التنفيذية وترافق هذا مع ازدياد أهمية الموقع الألكتروني. تعاقب على ترأس لجنة الشبكة الموسعة  أو شارك بالرئاسة كل من جاي ستاندينج وإدواردو سوبليسي (2008-2004) وإنغريد فان نينيرك (2014-2008) وكارل ويدركويست (2008-2017) ولويز هاغ (2014-2020) وساراث دافالا (2020-) ورأس فيليب فان باريج (2004-) مجلسا استشاريا يضم جميع الأعضاء السابقين للجنة.

تم في أيار (مايو) 2016 إنشاء منصب المدير العام, ولم يتم إنتخاب شاغل هذه الوظيفة من قبل الجمعية العامة بل تم تعيينه من قبل اللجنة التنفيذية, وقد تولى مالكولم توري هذا المنصب منذ تأسيسه في عام 2016, وتم إضفاء الطابع الرسمي على الشبكة كمنظمة دولية غير ربحية (AISBL) بموجب القانون البلجيكي, وبعد ذلك بعامين, تحولت إلى منظمة خيرية مدمجة (CIO) بموجب القانون البريطاني, وانتقل مقرها الرسمي من بروكسل إلى لندن وتم تعديل النظام الأساسي وفقا لذلك.

من المؤتمرات التي تعقد كل سنتين إلى المؤتمرات السنوية.

مع اتجاه الشبكة إلى العالمية, بدأت  BIEN  في الإعتراف بالشبكات الوطنية خارج أوروبا كشركات تابعة لها وقررت في عام 2004 البدء في التناوب في أماكن عقد المؤتمرات بين أوروبا وخارج أوروبا. ومع تزايد شعبية فكرة الدخل الأساسي في جميع أنحاء العالم, قررت البدء في تنظيم مؤتمرها سنويا بدلا من كل عامين, فاجتمعت شبكة الدخل الأساسي للأرض في الأماكن التالية:

  1. Capetown, ZA (University of Capetown, 3-4 November 2006, convenor: Ingrid van Niekerk)
  2. Dublin, IE (University College, Dublin, 21-22 June 2008, convenors: Sean Healy & Brigid Reynold)
  3. Sao Paulo, BR (Universidade de São Paulo, 30 June-2 July 2010, convenors: Eduardo Suplicy & Fabio Waltenberg)
  4. Ottobrunn, DE (Wolf-Ferrari Haus, 14-16 September 2012, convenor: Dorothee Schulte-Basta)
  5. Montreal, CA (MacGill University, 27-29 June 2014, convenors: Jurgen De Wispelaere & Daniel Weinstock)
  6. Seoul, KR (Sogang University, 7-9 July 2016, convenor: Hyosang Ahn)
  7. Lisbon, PT (Lisbon School of Economics, 26-27 September 2017, convenor: Roberto Merrill)
  8. Tampere, FI (University of Tampere, 24-26 July 2018, convenor: Jurgen De Wispelaere)
  9. Hyderabad, IN (NALSAR University, 23-26 August 2019, convenor: Sarath Davala)

[20. Brisbane, AU (University of Queensland, 28-30 September 2020, convenors: Troy Henderson & Greg Marston): postponed to 2022 because of the covid19 pandemic]

21. Glasgow, UK (Online, 18-21 August 2021, convenor: Mike Danson)

Providing enthusiasm, imagination, mutual understanding and tenacity keep feeding the worldwide basic income movement, this is only the beginning of BIEN’s history.

فيليب فان باريج

ترجمة جورج خوام

A short history of BIEN

A short history of BIEN

The origins: an idea, a collective, a prize. In the Autumn of 1983, Paul-Marie Boulanger, Philippe Defeyt and Philippe Van Parijs, three young researchers attached to the departments of demography, economics and philosophy of the University of Louvain (Belgium) decided to set up a working group in order to explore the implications of an extremely simple, unconventional but attractive idea which Van Parijs had proposed to call, in a paper circulated in December 1982, “allocation universelle”. The group chose as a collective pseudonym Collectif Charles Fourier. Its main output was a special issue of the Brussels monthly La Revue nouvelle (April 1985). But along the way, it won a prize, with a provocative presentation of the idea and its putative consequences, in an essay competition on the future of work organised by the Brussels-based King Baudouin Foundation.

The first meeting. With the money it thus unexpectedly earned, the Collectif Charles Fourier decided to organise a meeting to which they would invite a number of people to whom the idea of an Unconditional Basic Income had, they gradually discovered, independently occurred. This meeting became the first international conference on Basic Income, convened by Philippe Van Parijs in the university town of Louvain-la-Neuve on 4-6 September 1986, with sixty participants individually invited. It turned out to be quite an extraordinary event, with many seemingly lonely fighters suddenly discovering a whole bunch of kin spirits. They included, among others, Gunnar Adler-Karlsson, Jan-Otto Andersson, Yoland Bresson, Paul de Beer, Alexander de Roo, Rosheen Callender, Nic Douben, Marie-Louise Duboin, Gérard Roland, Ian Gough, Pierre Jonckheere, Bill Jordan, Greetje Lubbi, Annie Miller, Edwin Morley-Fletcher, Claus Offe, Hermione Parker, Riccardo Petrella, David Purdy, Guy Standing, Robert van der Veen, Georg Vobruba and Tony Walter.

A network is born. At the final session of the conference, several participants expressed the wish that some more permanent association be created, with the task of publishing a regular newsletter and organising regular conferences. Guy Standing proposed calling this association Basic Income European Network, which gathered an easy consensus, since no one could beat the beauty of the corresponding acronym (BIEN, which means “good” in French and Spanish). Its purpose, later enshrined in its Statutes adopted in 1988, was formulated as follows: “BIEN aims to serve as a link between individuals and groups interested in Basic Income, i.e. an income unconditionally granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement, and to foster informed discussion on this topic throughout Europe”. Peter Ashby (National Council for Voluntaty organisations), Claus Offe (then at the University of Bremen) and Guy Standing (then at the International Labour Organisation) became BIEN’s first chairpersons. Walter Van Trier (then at the University of Antwerp) became secretary, Alexander de Roo (then parliamentary assistant at the European Parliament) treasurer, and Philippe Van Parijs (University of Louvain) newsletter editor, subsequently combined with secretary. Ashby and Offe left as co-chairs in 1988 and were succeeded by Edwin Morley-Fletcher (1988-1998) and Ilona Ostner (1996-2004), jointly with Guy Standing (1986-2008).

Lifeline of the network: the newsletter. In the pre-internet era, the regular dispatching of a printed newsletter formed the very core of the existence of a network. From 1988 to July 2001, BIEN published a printed Newsletter that was sent to fee-paying members three times per year (36 issues). In order to facilitate the management of the subscriptions, the annual membership was replaced by a life membership formula in the Autumn of 1998, The emergence of electronic communication made it possible to intensify and widen the spreading of information. From January 2000 onwards, BIEN News flashes were sent several times per year to a large number of subscribers far beyond BIEN’s membership (138 issues between January 2000 and January 2020, when BIEN adopted a new style of Bulletin). In 1996, BIEN also inaugurated a website. Initially, it did little more than making newsletters and newsflashes available for downloading. It later grew rapidly to provide a wealth of information and resources on Basic Income and the Basic Income movement.

Congresses of growing scope. Starting with the founding conference, BIEN organized a congress every second year, with a growing and increasingly diverse set of participants:

  1. Louvain-la-Neuve, BE (UCLouvain, 4-6 September 1986, convenor: Philippe Van Parijs)
  2. Antwerp, BE (Universitaire Faculteiten St Ignatius, 22-24 September 1988, convenor: Walter Van Trier)
  3. Florence, IT (European University Institute, 19-20 September 1990, convenor: Edwin Morley-Fletcher)
  4. Paris, FR (Université de Paris-Val de Marne, 18-19 September 1992, convenors: Yoland Bresson & & Pierre Lavagne)
  5. London, UK (Goldsmith College, 8-10 September 1994, convenor: Richard Clements)
  6. Vienna, AT (United Nations Centre, 12-14 September 1996, convenors: Lieselotte Wohlgenannt, Michael Tepser & Bernd Marin)
  7. Amsterdam, NL (Universiteit van Amsterdam, 10-12 September 1998, convenors: Robert J. van der Veen, Loek Groot & Paul de Beer)
  8. Berlin, DE (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin), 6-7 October 2000, convenor: Claus Offe)
  9. Geneva, CH (International Labour Office, 13-14 September 2002, convenor: Guy Standing)
  10. Barcelona, ES (Forum Universal de las Culturas, 19-20 September 2004, convenors: David Casassas & Jose Noguera)

Archive from the early days. Contributions to some of the congresses were published in a number of collective volumes:

  • Anne G. Miller ed. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Basic Income (Louvain-la-Neuve, September 1986). Antwerp: BIEN & London: BIRG, 1988.
  • Walter Van Trier ed. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Basic Income. (Antwerp, September 1988). Antwerp: BIEN & London: BIRG, 1990
  • Philippe Van Parijs ed., Arguing For Basic Income. Ethical Foundations for a Radical Reform. London & New York: Verso, 1992.
  • Robert J. van der Veen & Loek Groot eds., Basic Income on the Agenda. Policy Options and Political Feasibility, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2000.
  • Guy Standing, ed., Promoting Income Security as a Right. Europe and North America, London: Anthem Press, 2004.

Along with a great many other books, papers and reports on Basic Income from before the internet era, the papers presented at BIEN’s first few congresses are kept in BIEN’s Archive at UCLouvain’s Hoover Chair of Economic and Social Ethics, 3 Place Montesquieu, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

From a European to a worldwide network. By 2004, 20% of the online subscribers and 25% of BIEN’s life members were from outside Europe. Pressure therefore increased to turn BIEN from a European into a worldwide network. The development of internet communication and of low-cost air travel made this option more realistic. And in January 2004, President Lula signed into law Senator Eduardo Suplicy’s proposal for a “basic citizenship income” for all Brazilians. This finished convincing the sceptics who thought that an Unconditional basic income could only make sense in European countries with a developed welfare state. At the September 2004 congress in Barcelona, BIEN’s executive committee proposed to change the name of the network from “Basic Income European Network” to “Basic Income Earth Network”. This proposal was adopted by BIEN’s General Assembly on 20 September 2004.

Structuring the movement. The newly elected committee undertook to modify and expand the statutes (until then no more than a single page), a new version of which was approved by the General Assembly in 2008. Owing to the growth of the network, the size of the executive committee had to increase, with the managing of the website gaining in importance. The committee of the expanded network was successively co-chaired or chaired by Guy Standing and Eduardo Suplicy (2004-2008), Ingrid van Niekerk (2008-2014), Karl Widerquist (2008-2017), Louise Haagh (2014-2020) and Sarath Davala (2020-). An Advisory Board that includes all past committee members is chaired by Philippe Van Parijs (2004-). In May 2016, the position of general manager was created, the incumbent of which is not elected by the General Assembly but appointed by the Executive Committee. Malcolm Torry has held this position since its creation. In 2016, the network was officialized as an international non-profit organization (AISBL) under Belgian law and two years later turned into a charitable incorporated organization (CIO) under British law, with its official seat moved from Brussels to London, and the statutes amended accordingly.

From biennial to annual congresses. As a result of becoming a worldwide network, BIEN started recognizing national networks outside Europe as affiliates and decided in 2004 to start alternating non-European and European locations for the congress. In 2016, given the increasing popularity of the idea of basic income across the world, it decided to start organizing a congress every year instead of every second year. The Basic Income Earth Network met in the following places:

  1. Capetown, ZA (University of Capetown, 3-4 November 2006, convenor: Ingrid van Niekerk)
  2. Dublin, IE (University College, Dublin, 21-22 June 2008, convenors: Sean Healy & Brigid Reynold)
  3. Sao Paulo, BR (Universidade de São Paulo, 30 June-2 July 2010, convenors: Eduardo Suplicy & Fabio Waltenberg)
  4. Ottobrunn, DE (Wolf-Ferrari Haus, 14-16 September 2012, convenor: Dorothee Schulte-Basta)
  5. Montreal, CA (MacGill University, 27-29 June 2014, convenors: Jurgen De Wispelaere & Daniel Weinstock)
  6. Seoul, KR (Sogang University, 7-9 July 2016, convenor: Hyosang Ahn)
  7. Lisbon, PT (Lisbon School of Economics, 26-27 September 2017, convenor: Roberto Merrill)
  8. Tampere, FI (University of Tampere, 24-26 July 2018, convenor: Jurgen De Wispelaere)
  9. Hyderabad, IN (NALSAR University, 23-26 August 2019, convenor: Sarath Davala)

[20. Brisbane, AU (University of Queensland, 28-30 September 2020, convenors: Troy Henderson & Greg Marston): postponed to 2022 because of the covid19 pandemic]

21. Glasgow, UK (Online, 18-21 August 2021, convenor: Mike Danson)

Providing enthusiasm, imagination, mutual understanding and tenacity keep feeding the worldwide basic income movement, this is only the beginning of BIEN’s history.

Philippe Van Parijs

Obituary: Lieselotte Wohlgenannt

Obituary: Lieselotte Wohlgenannt

Lieselotte Wohlgenannt died in Bregenz (Austria) on the 29th of May 2020. Born in 1931, Lieselotte was one of Europe’s first prominent advocates of basic income. After studying in Bregenz and Paris and spending ten years working for the catholic school network in the Congo (then Zaïre), she joined the Vienna-based Katholische Sozialakademie in 1977 and remained one of its driving forces long after her official retirement in 1992.  Grundeinkommen ohne Arbeit [Basic income without work], the book she published in Vienna in 1985 jointly with the Jesuit Herwig Büchele, was the first German-language book devoted to the idea of an unconditional basic income. Lieselotte represented the Austrian network at several of BIEN’s congresses, and was the main organizer of the congressBIEN held in Vienna in 1996. Along with Ireland’s Maire Mullarney and Scotland’s Annie Miller, she was one of those strong, committed, selfless women who helped keep the frail flame of basic income alive long before it ignited the world.

Housing prices are an obstacle to universal income

Housing prices are an obstacle to universal income

By SB

There is a fear that a disproportionate part of Universal Basic Income would be paid to housing. Under current circumstances, a large portion of the income is paid to rent. A person UK in 2019, if receiving benefits only, in many cases is paying over fifty percent of their income for housing. If UBI was to come into effect, it is possible the same problem would occur. On the minimum wage in the UK (currently 8.21 per hour), over 43 percent of the income of a person living in a city will go to renting a single room. For first-time buyers, this can be devastating to their finances and can leave them asking questions such as “What are Bank and Mortgage Company Overlays?” in an attempt to pay off their debts.

If UBI becomes a transfer of funds from everybody in the economy to the landlords in the economy, then it cannot be progressive. These landlords are not particularly in need or poor. Therefore, the campaign for UBI must be approached keeping in mind where that income ends up.

Looking at rent rises in the last 29 years, one can see that that inflation between 1989 and 2019 makes everything roughly two and half times more expensive. So, anything that is 1 will be 2.50 today. Another way to put it is that 1 in 1989 is equal to 2.50 today. In the same time, the lowest wage rose from about 3.00 to 8.21 and tax on the minimum full-time wage decreases from twelve percent to five percent.

The biggest difference is rent and everything that comes with it, such as insurance from companies like Epremium. In terms of rent, 1 is equal to 10.50, or what was a 50 per calendar month is now 550.00 pcm. In buying terms, the lowest-priced homes cost about 35,000 in 1989 or six times the minimum wage annual income. In 2019, the average price of a two-bedroom flat varies widely. However, it is not uncommon to see a two-bedroom flat priced at 200,000 or twelve times the minimum wage. This would indicate that buying a house takes a similar trajectory as rent. In 1989, a person could have obtained a secure home, and put aside some money that comprises the state pension. If the property prices and rent had not risen and had stayed at about 9 percent of minimum income wages today, then this would be the case too. Even If there was a shortage of housing, they would have been able to initiate a build via a housing association or even through their own income.

Table 1 Wage falls as rent rises

Year Monthly Annual Rent Annual Disposable Income (after rent, tax and national insurance) % of Minimum Wage for rent (After Tax and NI) % of Minimum Wage paid for tax factoring in tax free allowance
1990 40.00 480.00 4,658.75 9.34% 12.16%
1995 62.85 754.26 5,113.24 12.85% 9%
2000 98.77 1,185.21 5,562.40 17.56% 6%
2005 155.20 1,862.40 7,100.89 20.78% 9%
2010 243.88 2,926.51 7,565.72 27.89% 9%
2015 383.22 4,598.62 7,923.37 36.72% 4%
2019 550.13 6,601.60 8,632.19 43.34% 4%
2020 602.18 7,226.11 8,629.68 45.57% 4%
2021 659.14 7,909.70 8,595.00 47.92% 5%

However, the rent and property price rise that took place meant that each time the minimum wage was raised (in line with inflation) to keep somebody at the same standard of living on minimum wage, the rent rise took a larger and larger portion of their income. In the beginning, the rent rise takes 25 percent of their pay rise, then taking about 50% of their pay rise, and in many years is a 100 percent or near 100 percent. In a few cases, it was more than 100 percent.

Since the minimum wage increase to keep up with inflation and they are handing over above the calculated inflation for rent to their landlords, they are no longer gaining the additional money to stay at the same standard of living. Their wage is dropping and their ability to save and prepare for the future is dropping. For example, in 1989, for every 1 a person gives 9 percent or 9p to rent. In 2019, for every 2.50 roughly equal to 1 then, a person gives 1.07 to their landlord or 43 percent.

If we look at rent increment per year and pay increment per year, taking the actual rises in the minimum wage from government records, and factoring the rent rise equally distributed over the full twenty-nine years. In order to get from a monthly rent of 50pcm to 550pcm. If equally distribute, then from about 1990 to 1999, the pay rise would have been higher than the rent rise. Some years all of the pay rise is transferred to the landlord.

In 1990, about a quarter of the pay rise is a transfer to the landlord. In 1999, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2019, the full pay rise is transferred to the landlord. In most other years about 40 percent to 98 percent is transferred to the landlord except for five years.

For rent to rise from 9 percent to 43 percent of the minimum wage, the rent must have risen in some years higher than their pay rises. This would have been reflected differently in different accommodations. However, everybody who was renting would have observed the change at some point. In the following example, the rent rise is assumed to be equally distributed across the years, to show how the rent could have moved from 40pcm to 550pcm.

What about tax, during the same period the tax goes from 12 percent of the minimum wage to about 5 percent. Comparing tax and rent, the tax amount starts out higher than rent. By 1992 tax and rent are about equal outgoings, and then slowly rent increases tenfold, and tax decreases to about half the share it was in 1989. The rent doubles tax in 1998, trebles in the early 2000s, and by 2015 it is ten times the rent, as an annual outgoing for a person on the minimum wage.

Disposable income moves in the reverse direction. In 1990, a person on minimum wage has almost ten times the disposable income than they pay on rent. Disposable income after rent, tax, and national insurance contributions are 4,658.75, while rent is 480 per year. In 1996 it is six times, in 2002 it is four times and so on. By 2018 it is less than 1.5 times, and if the trend continues by 2022, rent will be higher than disposable income.

If house prices and all other items had increased in line with inflation and the minimum wage pay rise was the same, then a person would have the potential of savings to purchase a home or build a home with about half their accumulated life’s income. When they sold that home, they would regain the total value, less depreciation of the same home. Homeowners can also look at selling their current homes for cash through a ‘We Buy Houses‘ company or they can help them find buyers that are interested in buying their homes at the price point they had set out so they do not lose out on any money they have put into their current home.

Table 2 shows a scenario of house prices had not risen.

Year Monthly rent went from 40 to 550pcm in 29 years. Annual Tax for the year Annual Rent (12 Months) After RENT and Tax, NI per year % of Minimum Wage for Rent (After Tax and NI) % of Minimum Wage paid for tax factoring in tax free allowance
1990 40.00 711.25 480.00 4,658.75 9.34% 12.16%
2000 49.35 440.20 592.22 6,155.38 8.78% 6%
2010 73.34 1,017.70 880.13 9,612.11 8.39% 9%
2019 101.53 701.90 1,218.31 14,015.47 8.00% 4%

However, they would not have been able to set aside enough money to raise one or two children. The calculation for a child would be half the cost of living between age 0 to age 18, at half the cost of an adult. However, testing of goods and services for children are actually coming to a price of roughly half the cost of living, as they are assumed to have done in the past.

So, to reiterate, the minimum wage over a lifetime will not deliver to either a one- or two-income household, the returns for a home, investment in education to give higher wage opportunity, and a pension or putting aside money first to have children, plus the cost of bringing up children. Therefore, there is no choice for people on the minimum wage but to look for further state support. However, the truth of the matter much denied is, who is taking the subsidy, the person on minimum wage or precarious jobs, the end customers that are being given a lower price based on a low wage. The landlord is taking 43 percent of the income in real terms whether sourced in benefits or wage, or the hiring organizations who are saving a larger percentage of their budget for others who are paid more. Finally, that subsidy goes to shareholders whether it ends up mostly in the pocket of a small set of people, or a retirement fund which funds a large set of people. What is clear, people on minimum wage should not be blamed or made to feel guilty because of their poverty. Instead they should be enlightened educated on tools that may be able to help them in this time of need such as home equity. Many times people are sitting on money and don’t even realise that they can claim it. Find more information on this link – https://www.facebook.com/equityexperts.org/.

And the Universal Basic Income is an idea that can only be realized if each of the key areas of expense for a human being to live takes a reasonable proportion of the income. Otherwise, Universal Basic Income is just a guaranteed income for landlords today and maybe another industry tomorrow, and will fail to supply the basic set of goods and services it is designed to guarantee.

Sources of data

1 Minimum Wage 1999 to 2013 Ref [1] https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/oct/01/uk-minimum-wage-history-in-numbers
2 National Insurance 1999 to 2019 Ref [2] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709420/Table-a4.pdf
3 Income Tax – Personal Tax Allowance and Reliefs, 1990 to 2019 [3] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709412/Table-a1.pdf
Notes
There are data gaps in the Rent to Income Ratio, the most Signiant of which are explained below
The starting rent in 1990 of 40pcm is derived from my own personal experience of renting a double room in a shared house. I remember at the time I chose a room that I could be comfortable in, and did not choose the cheapest room. I was moving from a room with relatives, where I paid 30pcm. The common room price in loot the listings paper which was the main source for finding lettings at the time was 30pcm to 50pcm, I believe that the bills were not included. The rent in 2019 was derived from a search for a double room on a website. There are many rooms that are priced over today’s rent of 550, which seem to be most rooms. However, through many searches of different websites, I can see that it is a common rent for a room in that area. This data could be improved by searching through archived copies of listings papers for the time. There are many rooms advertised at about 200 more than the rent I have quoted in some cities.
From starting rent to today’s rent, I am estimating a % increase year on year, equally distributed. This would end up with today’s rent. For future rent, I am taking the same % increase forward for a further twenty years
Minimum Wage: When referring to minimum wage, I am always assuming the full adult minimum wage and not the minimum wage for young adults
Minimum Wage in 1990 to 1998
I have real data from .gov site and from the guardian site from 1999. This is the year the minimum wage came into effect. Prior to this I have a sketchy memory of my take home pay in 1990. Therefore, the start salary 3.00 per hour is pure guess and would be slightly lower if I calculated using the future trend. Tracing back this goes to about 2.70. I feel that this would not be accurate as my take home pay would have been lower.
Future Minimum Wage 2019 to 2039
If I estimate a year on year % increase to take me from 3 to 8.20. The % increase is about 3.5% year on year. I am then using this for future years.
Minimum Wage 1999 to 2019
Data from tables on .gov websites and guardian websites. This data does not take into account which month the change came into effect and assumes a full year at the minimum wage increment for the year. This data could be improved.
Tax Calculations
If the rent year is 1990. The tax is calculated using figures for 1990, and the calculation is done against the full year from 1990 till today, therefore this data does not use the previous tax year for the last three months of the financial year. This would mean that tax would be slightly lower than shown here. Tax Personal Allowance, and all other calculations involving tax, including salary after tax also ignore the financial year change over. Therefore, this data could be improved. The overall trend of rent rises outstripping pay rises would not change.
National Insurance NI for 1990 to 1998 has been put at zero, because of confusion about the rules at the time. However, I believe it to be quite low for the minimum wage because of the exemptions for low wage at the time. This data could therefore be improved.
Contact Details
Email: sbptime@yahoo.com
United Kingdom: Lib Dem candidates back basic income pilots

United Kingdom: Lib Dem candidates back basic income pilots

Jane Dodds and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson. Picture credit to: The Week

Over fifty candidates for the UK’s Liberal Democrat party (Lib Dem) have signed a personal commitment to back basic income pilots in the next parliament, if elected.

The intention to run these basic income pilots, which would be implemented by removing conditionality rules from the standard element of the main Universal Credit benefit system, is already an official part of the party platform, voted for by Lib Dem members this autumn as part of the party’s ‘A Fairer Share For All’ package of anti-poverty proposals. With social security issues low on the agenda in the election overall, however, a number of the party’s candidates signed a separate declaration to bring attention to the policy.

The Liberal Democrats have a comparatively long history with minimum income as an idea, with citizens’ income proposals forming part of the party’s platform in its 1992 manifesto, and in recent years their proposals to abolish the sanctions system for social security, which they adopted in 2016, have seen them move back towards unconditional income policies. This comes alongside the Lib Dems’ wider pledges to spend more money on social security, abolish benefit sanctions, and end many of the other restrictions and claim delays that have caused problems with the Universal Credit system since its introduction. Lib Dems have been recognized by the Resolution Foundation to have progressive policies on welfare issues.

The backers of the minimum income statement, which was organized by a group of party activists, come from across Britain, covering all nations and regions and both urban and rural areas. Notable signatories include Andrew George, James Cox, Jasmine Sakura-Rose and Jane Dodds (Welsh Liberal Democrat), who has publicly spoken out in favor of the idea.

Quotes from signatories:

“I support a minimum income because it gives people the power to say no to exploitative jobs and a base from which to work to better themselves. Only with a minimum income or UBI in place can we begin to support real freedom for all.” – Oliver Craven, candidate for Sleaford and North Hykeham

“We can’t carry on with a system that doesn’t ensure that people have a stable, reliable minimum level of income. The instability people face under the current social security system badly impacts on their health and wellbeing, and we have to find a way out of that.” – Josie Ratcliffe, candidate for South West Norfolk

“As a Lib Dem I believe in empowering people, and one of the most important parts of that is ensuring they can care for themselves and their communities and pursue their own paths and goals without the constantly looming threat of income insecurity that so many people currently face.” – Charley Hasted, candidate for Eltham

More information at:

Jane Dodds, “Why the Welsh Liberal Democrats want to trial Universal Basic Income in Wales”, Nation Cymru, March 2nd 2019

This article was written by James Baillie. Edited and reviewed by André Coelho.