An Emergency Universal Salary paid to all...

[PieceOfMaria]

Regardless of means.

The idea currently being mooted the government.

I have an issue with this, or at least with elements of it. I don’t need the money. My DHs industry may well be impacted in the long term like everybody’s, but in the short to medium term he can WFH and is being paid in full and that’s pretty unlikely to change due to the nature of his sector. Plus we have ample savings.

Plenty of people including many retired people on comfortable pensions with relatively few outgoings won’t need the money. People who already exist entirely on benefits could argue that they need more money, but they can’t really argue that the CV crisis has left them much worse off than they already were, with the possible exception of those whose children were getting free school meals and now won’t be.

The people who will REALLY REALLY need the money are most self employed people whose work will dry up overnight. Low to middle income working people who were only just managing to keep the plates spinning anyway and now must be feeling sick with worry about their finances. Many household name firms will potentially go under because of this. People who work in small businesses and services that are dependent on footfall and face to face interaction are extremely vulnerable right now and will be losing their jobs as we speak. Airline staff are now facing redundancy or long periods of unpaid leave.

I don’t want any money Boris. Please, please means test this, so there is more to go around for those who are genuinely going to struggle within weeks or even days. I’m not one of them. There will be hundreds of thousand of people who can say hand on heart that they are not one of them either.

How about just topping up child benefit? Means tested for salaries under 50K already, for families... Then they'd have to figure something out for those in need without children at home.

No Luna it’s too complicated for broken families etc.
People need ubi and they need it now.

I don't need it either. If t comes to fruition, I will donate to the local food bank or something.

It gets complicated VERY quickly!

That’s perfect . Donate to the food bank. Give it to your local coffee shop. But please please please don’t ask for it to be means tested and think you’re helping.

Restaurant and hospitality need it desperately! Hours being slashed if not closure every day

Means testing waste time and esources. I agree that even if it is given to people who don't need it, the impact will be that they spend it on 'luxuries' and so put it back into the economy anayway.

Sounds very sensible to me and could make a massive difference to whether or not our economy makes it through this.

In this circumstance, I think this is the easiest solution to implement and affordable in the short term. DH and I were just discussing it last night (before I saw this). We are economists. It could be included in tax returns later, so higher income people will not benefit as much.

I think UBI is a good idea in general, especially at this time. Yes its very difficult to get your head round at first but it could be very beneficial. I think its potentially to expensive to means test so it would have to be paid to all with perhaps more progressive taxation on higher earners? I am infavour of the universality of such a benefit because I think if everyone who can is paying in then everyone should get something out of it. This is our social contract, when you start saying this or that group earn too much to benefit then you erode this contract and people start to resent the taxes they pay and we end up like the US or even 2020 UK.

I would give it to charity in your position, and 1-2 years down the line you may need the money too.

Therollicking yes I see your point, I’ve acknowledged that means testing is tricky but I don’t want to see people like me going ‘ooh thanks’ and sticking in the bank with a plan to spend on going to the Bahamas next year or something.

Lots of people need it desperately. Urgently. Like yesterday . It simply isn’t the time for a universal- credit esque eligibility farce.

If they really want to make sure no one is left behind, then it needs to be for everyone.

Especially for everyone currently self-employed, it's not easy to means test because their income levels can fluctuate a lot as it is. And hopefully the extra cash for everyone would encourage people to keep spending and supporting the businesses that need it the most.

I wondered about that too irregular that would be a good solution. Give it out equally but find a way of clawing some back from higher earners.

It will cost the government a lot more in admin costs to means test it at a time when human resources are stretched and for many the payment would be urgent.

No point worrying about what people who don't need it are going to do with it. Hopefully many who fall into that bracket will further help friends and family or give back to the community.

I'd much rather people who didn't need support had it forced on them, than the people who need support have it ripped from them to bail out banks. Or airlines. Or train companies. Or bookmakers.

Nobody will be immune from the economic ramifications of this and we’re in for the long haul. Nothing is stable . We’ll all be more susceptible to serious illness, to theft, fraud, crime , unemployment, to name but a few.
You think you don’t need it? Give it a little while.

Presumably it would boost the economy? Those who don't need it to survive or because they've lost income due to CV will have surplus funds to spend to help businesses on the road to recovery.

Yup.

DH and I don’t really need it, but if it does come to fruition we’ll make sure to spend it either locally or from small, online retailers.

UBI helps everyone. Those who don't need it can spend it on luxury items which props up small businesses and help keep them going until things get back to normal. If you don't need it, use it to shop local - order delivery from your local restaurant every night, order gifts from small online retailers, buy music and merch from local musicians etc etc.

Give it out equally but find a way of clawing some back from higher earners.

The Great British Public has repeatedly shown it hates taxing high earners. ...

I have lost two streams of income and cant return to work in nhs ( ex nurse) due to dbs and underlying health issues...once the main crisis is over I can return to my income generating activity and would happily repay any government grant, rather like a student loan . £4k would keep me afloat till the summer and enable me to earn money once things return to whatever theyre going to return to .BTW this not a begging post but if the govt's writing cheques over here please !

I can foresee tax rates rising. Those with money, i.e. secure jobs & businesses, pensions, will have to pay more tax. Some people who are OK financially will get the universal salary, but they'll also pay more tax on their other incomes, whether wages, profits or pensions.

Define “all” please.
Is it all citizens? All legal residents? Workers only?
Eg Would an 18yr old student in sixth form get it?
Or a disabled person living on benefits?
Or an illegal immigrant?
Or a pensioner in a state care home?

@rossetti my husband is a high earner and I don't expect we'd be much better off with a UBI after new taxation rules but that doesn't make it a bad idea. I don't think anyone hates high earners, we have more so should contribute more.

Is there a link to where this has been said? I’ve must of missed it.