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.

[GatoradeMeBitch]

Last week, Yougov had a question about a Universal wage: it asked if @£94 per week was manageable.

This sounds more like our government...

[olafonfire]

When dh lost his job for the first time a few years back we were told because his earning were too much in the year and my smp was counted as my full salary even though I was on the minimum maternity pay we couldn't claim any benefits. We had nothing coming in and a mortgage and car going out.
We had a five month old and we'd spent everything on baby things we always save but had wiped out our savings. We were literally living off beans for weeks until I could take a loan to pay for childcare to go back to my own job. I'm not sure how things work now as dh says this wouldn't happen now (this was 2012) but anything would have helped us back then.

Now both of our jobs are uncertain and instead of sitting there worried if we will be entitled to anything, anything would help. Even if it was an interest free loan that we had to pay back.

Also if we go overdue on our bmw finance and get debt judgements on our records we could lose our professional qualifications which would effectively end our careers. It's never that simple is it. We have one car between us so which we both use for work. So you'd rather people defaulted on loans get further into debt than the government just sort this mess out quickly? So virtuous of you. We are already clawing back on food purchases now and eating less to help aid us getting into troubles if we both lose our jobs. With dc who's constantly hungry this is an absolute nightmare and not all of us can sit there and worry about what paperwork we have or haven't filled out only to be rejected when we need it.

Some things are best kept to oneself. Just donate anything you don't need and appreciate your position.

[alloutoffucks]

Now, as long as you have paid NI contributions, you get £73 a week for 6 months. Happened to us last year and it was tough.

[Noodlenosefraggle]

My maths is dreadful but paying £1000 per month to 50,000,000 adults for 3 months would be 150,000,000 wouldn't it? A drop in the ocean compared to what they were talking about spending. The benefits in the long term for the economy would outweigh the costs hundreds of times over when you consider the small businesses that wouldn't have to worry about wage bills and could just put people on hiatus, the amount of unemployment benefits that would have to be paid out if those businesses were to stay afloat etc. I'd love this to happen permanently but short term at least I think it's a good idea.

[alloutoffucks]

More about £400 to each adult. But do it in a way that forces people to use it or lose it.
We are not high earners. DP has lost hours since yesterday but will hopefully work right through. This would make a real difference to us.
Also fairer than paying council tax bills for everyone as obviously the well off would disproportionately benefit from that.

[DGRossetti]

But do it in a way that forces people to use it or lose it.

Exactly what negative interest rates do.

Part of the problem at the moment is that every possible solution to the growing crisis is basically a vindication of socialism in one way or another, where the state underpins the economy. For years we've been told it has to be the other way round.

Already this governments spending has dwarfed anything Labour suggested in their manifesto. And we haven't even got free broadband, childcare or nationalised railways out of it.

[alloutoffucks]

We have savings. Negative interest rates have zero impact. Because we have been unemployed before, we hand onto our savings for when we need them.
Extra money on a use it or lose it basis will help those who need it to survive and those who don't will spend boosting the economy.

I do think people are either savers or spenders and think interest rates don't have a great impact in times of turmoil.

[TildaKauskumholm]

Great idea in principle, but too expensive to means test everyone. I should think a fairly small percentage would actually donate it though, sadly, human nature being what it is.

[Alwaysreadyforbed]

It won’t happen because people would get used to it and want it all the time. When it gets stopped, the tories would be seen as the bad guys.

[DGRossetti]

We have savings. Negative interest rates have zero impact. Because we have been unemployed before, we hand onto our savings for when we need them.

Looking at our savings, interest rates may as well have been negative for the past 4 years.

[moondance19]

They already are the bad guys.

[Cornettoninja]

alwaysreadyforbed what? Exactly what luxuries do you think are going to be available for the foreseeable? No ones going to be jetting off to Hawaii or buying a pony on a government hand out right now are they?

[SarahConnorsPonytail]

There is a petition for Covid-19 Emergency Basic Income on the parliment.uk website:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/302284

[alloutoffucks]

In terms of getting used to it, maybe the way round that is only to pay it while we are in lock down? Even call it a lock down payment or something. So acknowledging lots of people can't work, little childcare, loss of social services provided by charities to older and disabled people. But as soon as lock down ends, the payment ends.

[jellybean85]

Maybe the people who don't need it will spend it though? Order online? Purchase something with it? Book a service from a local builder to have in the next year? It
Should still stimulate the economy and arguably be better if not everyone needs to
Hold onto it for mortgage and bills

[Chloemol]

If you don’t need it, take it and donate it to food banks or whatever

[Imok]

If the government paid me £1000 a month and then allowed my employer to claw it back from my salary, I'd be about £20 a month better off. If, on the other hand, I was paid that money on top of my normal salary, I'd spend it therefore putting it back into the economy and hopefully helping to keep local businesses going. An extra £20 would only cover the cost of energy I'll incur by working from home and maybe leave enough over for a takeaway.

[lyralalala]

It won’t happen because people would get used to it and want it all the time. When it gets stopped, the tories would be seen as the bad guys.

I think that is why if they do it then it'll be a one off thing

[HollowTalk]

There would have to be a time limit on it. Only an idiot would expect it to continue forever.

[nutmegbrew]

Some believe that a need for UBI is inevitable sooner or later due to automation and AI. If we don't establish a mechanism to share the wealth, the inequality will be unsustainable, heads will literally roll.

[Flippetydip]

OP - I agree. If this goes ahead it should be something that you apply for and get with no questions asked rather than it being just given. I would then wait for the inevitable to happen (my job will go) before I apply.

[Whatsmyname26]

If it happens I plan to donate more to food banks and other social charities local

[HollowTalk]

There shouldn't be a need for food banks if it goes ahead, should there? Isn't that the point of it?

[DGRossetti]

If we don't establish a mechanism to share the wealth, the inequality will be unsustainable, heads will literally roll.

Surely that's what spikes are for ?

[SinkGirl]

The costs and manpower associated with means testing would be astronomical. It’s better to put it into the economy, and stimulate the economy, than waste it on administration. Even if they wanted to, they don’t have the manpower, especially right now. Attitudes like this is why it won’t happen, and the people who will suffer are those who do need it. If you don’t want it, donate it.