The Adam Smith institute, self-describing as being ‘at the forefront of making the case for free markets and a free society in the United Kingdom,’ recently drew attention to desirability of a Negative Income Tax, by reclaiming the 1970s experiments on it in USA.
Ben Southwood, “We’ve actually tried negative income taxes, and they seem to work ” Adam Smith Institute, November 6, 2014.
Malcolm Torry, who has long been serving as the director of the Citizen’s Income Trust, reflected a time he worked as welfare officer in late 1970s and how uncertain the situation of claimants were because of the nature of means tested benefit. He argues that BIG “will need to be high on the agenda of the Government enquiry into income maintenance.”
Malcolm Torry, “Basic Income – a benefits system for our society, today and tomorrow.” Discovers Society: Measured – Factual – Critical, Issue 13, September 30, 2014.
The first issue of the Citizens Income Newsletter for 2015 includes news; editorials on “Predistribution,” “The necessity and the feasibility of a Citizen’s Income,” “Benefits sanctions,” and “Fair benefits;” a research note by Malcolm Torry entitled, “A feasible way to implement a Citizen’s Income;” an extended article by Anne Miller entitled, “The prospects for a CI scheme in Scotland after the Referendum on Independence held on 18 September 2014;” and reviews of the following books:
Marshall Brain, Manna: Two Visions of Humanity’s Future
Bob Deacon, Global Social Policy in the Making
Tony Fitzpatrick, Climate Change and Poverty
Bruce Nixon, A Better World is Possible
Fred Powell, The Politics of Civil Society
Julian Reiss, Philosophy of Economics
Paul Spicker, Reclaiming Individualism
Citizens Income Trust [UK], “2015 Issue 1,” Citizen’s Income newsletter, January 2015.
Results from this recently published article show that basic income within all Spanish territory can be financed at approximately 7500 € per year for each adult person and 20% of that value for each child. The authors state none of the basic state functions (e.g.: education, health) need cuts in order to finance basic income, with reforms in taxation and savings from all benefits already given by the state, which need not exist when the basic income is implemented, paying for its implementation.
Language: Spanish
Jordi Arcarons, Antoni Domènech, Daniel Raventós, Lluís Torrens, “Un modelo de financiación de la Renta Básica para el conjunto del Reino de España: sí, se puede y es racional [A basic income finance model for all Spanish Kingdom: yes, it can be done and is rational]“, Sinpermisso, December 7 2014
Credit to: Económico (online)
The author distinguishes “weak” and “strong” (economic) pre-distribution. The former amounts fairly to what already exists in some countries (welfare state); the latter consists in the unconditional basic income (UBI). The article defends that it is the “strong” pre-distribution which may more drastically promote social equality, justice and freedom.
Language: Portuguese
Roberto Merrill, “Pré-distribuição [Pre-distribution]“, Económico (online), September 19 2014
Scott Santens, “Negative Income Tax (NIT) and Unconditional Basic Income (UBI)” Scottsantens.com. December 17, 2014.
