The open questions
How it is financed
Gross cost is not net cost. But an adequate income still requires serious fiscal choices.
No credible proposal can dodge this question, and no honest answer can be «it costs nothing».
Gross and net
If the income is paid to everyone and recovered progressively through income tax, effective expenditure is far below the total distributed: for the upper part of the distribution it is a book transfer.
Part of it, further, replaces existing benefits and their administrative costs.
What remains to be covered
Even net of everything, an amount sufficient to live on requires additional resources. The sources discussed include revising taxation of high incomes, wealth taxation, taxing capital income at parity with labour income, and proposals on the profits generated by automation.
Each has real technical and political problems, and none commands consensus. This is the weakest part of the debate, and where more work and fewer slogans would help.
Do you have an objection to this principle?
Reasoned criticism is published. We reply to every email.
More principles on The open questions
Why at European level
The right level for the decision
Not to set the amount, but because no country can move alone inside a single market.