Work or not: would you vote for a guaranteed $2,800 monthly income?

INFINITEBAEK

Swiss residents will soon vote on an initiative that would guarantee a basic monthly income of 2,500 Swiss franks($2,800) for all working adults in the country to combat income inequalityacross the nation. The initiative collected the 100,000 signatures needed for are ferendum on the proposal, and to mark this historic initiative, a truck in the city of Bern unloaded 8 million five-cent coins, on Friday to represent Switzerland's 8 million citizens.

A basic income has long been a liberal pipedream, but few countries have implemented pilot projects to test how it might work. If the initiative got passed, people living in Swiss would get $2,800 per month no matter what they do and how they work, making Swiss a Utopian happy land. Compared with the minimum wage level in China, which is roughly 1000-1600, this is a huge amount.

Swiss business leaders have reacted with dismay, many have also suggested it could provide a major disincentive to working at all, something that could pose problems for Swiss companies already finding it hard to recruit skilled workers.

On the other hand, there are some people who argues that universal income would allow people more freedom to decide what they really want to do. "The thought is not that people will work less,the people are free to decide - more, or less."

However, there is surprisingly little debate about whether Switzerland could afford it. The parliamentary vote has not yet been scheduled, but itcould take place before the end of the year.

Does the initiative sound appealing to you? If you were living in Swiss, would you support getting $2,800 monthly income simply for, say, showing up for work? Would this univeral minimum wage be applicable in China?

If you're Swiss, a regular share of this cash could soon be yours

pantarhei

I could see it used as a way for welfare states to remove alot of the bureaucracy need to to detemin who is qualified for money, how much should they get and for how long. It is a huge waste of money that doesn't give any wealth to the country.  With basic income you still get that if you loose your work,  same if sick. No overpaid goverment worker is needed to make decision that affects your life.

i don't know if it is good idea to guarantee a certain amount. That seems like great way to put yourself in economic trouble later down the road. It needs be flexible.  If less money is put into the system the wage needs to go down automatically. You all know what will happen if politicians actively need to vote to change the amount evey time it is needed.