In this short article, Philippe Van Parijs proposes a Euro-dividend, which he describes as “one, simple and radical, yet … reasonable and urgent” proposal. The Euro-dividend is a modest basic income for every legal resident of the European Union. According to Van Parijs, “This income provides each resident with a universal and unconditional floor that can be supplemented at will by labour income, capital income and social benefits. Its level can vary from country to country to track the cost of living, and it can be lower for the young and higher for the elderly.”
Van Parijs is a professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and the author Real Freedom for All: what (if anything) can justify capitalism.
Van Parijs, Philippe, “The Euro-Dividend,” Social Europe Journal, July 3, 2013
I am not European, but Europe would be leading the way for all nations, if this were enacted.
The 20% VAT may be politically prohibitive. Could one do some opinion surveying on this and other variants, including one with half the VAT and half the benefit proposed? Even such a low benefit might be appreciated, if the Alaska experience is relevant to Europe. Also, one may need to start with a small step. And I would be cautious about implying a compensatory across-the-board reduction in existing benefits.
very interested in your dividend thoughts. we are working on a concept that goes even a little further. we have named it ther HERM, Human Energy Renewable Measure. would be pleased to get your reaction to this concept. there is a simple definition on wikipedia or a more complete explaination on the http://www.theherm.org site. thank you, jeff beller