Universal livable basic income in times of crisis and beyond
“The government has rightly recognized that people need financial assistance during these difficult times. We are very supportive of the government’s legislation, passed last week, that’s meant to help. But Canada could be doing much more to provide financial support quickly and effectively in this time of crisis. And we already have the tools in place.
We should be implementing universal income — money that is sufficient to meet basic needs and provide stability, sent directly to Canadians below a certain income threshold.
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Universal livable basic income could be distributed and taxed back where total incomes warrant, using the current tax system. This is one of the most simple and effective ways of distributing funds to those in need. We already see this working extremely well under the GST tax credit.”
Read Senators Frances Lankin and Kim Pate article in The Star
Frances Lankin, PC CM, is a Canadian senator, former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister in the NDP government of Bob Rae between 1990 and 1995. From 2010 to 2012, she co-chaired a government commission review of social assistance in Ontario.
Kimberly Pate, CM, was the executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. Pate graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 1984 with honours in the Clinical Law Programme and has completed post graduate work in the area of forensic mental health.
and, check Policy Options of Basic Income Canada Network to see how we can pay for it.
EXCERPT FROM POLICY OPTIONS, BASIC INCOME CANADA NETWORK
“…The tax/transfer system is a powerful government tool to gather and invest revenue needed for the well-being of a society and its members. It enables us to have roads, schools and hospitals, democratic institutions and much more. In Canada, a wealthy country, it should be a priority to enable us all to have decent lives. But our tax/transfer system has become very complex and contradictory; modelling change is a big challenge. It does not treat all Canadians with dignity and respect. On the one hand, seniors benefits and child benefits provide stability to millions of Canadians, helping them weather the ups and downs of life. Social assistance, on the other hand, traps people in deep poverty. There are also billions of dollars of tax breaks that go primarily to the wealthiest individuals and corporations, a situation that was not always like this—they used to contribute a fairer share. The other key reason to focus on the tax/transfer system is that by using Statistics Canada’s Social Policy Simulation Database and Model (SPSD/M) we can see, in detail, the impact of our modelled options. Other ways to help pay for a basic income may be more difficult to estimate but they include, for example, cost-savings over time as people’s health and well-being improves. Canadians know that inequality, insecurity and poverty have a high price tag that we are already paying. Governments must take that into account as well in efforts to build a more fair and equitable society….”
check Policy Options of Basic Income Canada Network to see how we can pay for it.
