Finland is considering scrapping all welfare benefits and paying everyone $10,000 a year instead.
The Finnish government, elected earlier this year, is planning to introduce a tax-free monthly payment of 800 euros ($865) to all adult Finns, regardless of income, wealth or employment status. The payment would replace most other state benefits.
So $10k a year for people for people who don't work? That would be terrible for the US, because working a fast food job at minimum wage wouldn't be worth the energy.
It also argues that the change may encourage more people to look for work. About 9.5% of Finns are currently out of work -- the highest rate in more than a decade -- and the government believes some people are deterred from working because they're better off on unemployment benefit than accepting a minimum wage job.
this doesn't make sense to me at all considering different people need different amounts of money based on their needs (medical conditions, disability, children). like, when they say "welfare", do they include things like healthcare and disability benefits? also, is $10,000 per year even close to enough money to sustain yourself there? because i know it isn't in the US. also, where the heck are they getting the money to pay that much to everyone? most welfare programs have a specific purpose other than just throwing money at people, so this doesn't sound like it fully fulfills the purpose of the programs. as much as i support making things easier for poor people, this doesn't sound like an idea they really thought through at all.
this doesn't make sense to me at all considering different people need different amounts of money based on their needs (medical conditions, disability, children). like, when they say "welfare", do they include things like healthcare and disability benefits? also, is $10,000 per year even close to enough money to sustain yourself there? because i know it isn't in the US. also, where the heck are they getting the money to pay that much to everyone? most welfare programs have a specific purpose other than just throwing money at people, so this doesn't sound like it fully fulfills the purpose of the programs. as much as i support making things easier for poor people, this doesn't sound like an idea they really thought through at all.
Pretty much this, it sounds practical but not reasonable
So $10k a year for people for people who don't work? That would be terrible for the US, because working a fast food job at minimum wage wouldn't be worth the energy.
who said these people don't work? As a matter of fact most people on welfare DO work
For a supposed ''progressive'' forum in regards to social issues, a lot of people do sound like conservatives when it comes to economics. This is a good and innovative programme.
I don't know anything about the price of things like healthcare or childcare in Finland but that's chump change in the US for such things so that would never work here. Sounds interesting though!
Under proposals being draw up by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela), this national basic income would replace all other benefit payments, and would be paid to all adults regardless of whether or not they receive any other income. Unemployment in Finland is currently at record levels, and the basic income is intended to encourage more people back to work. At present, many unemployed people would be worse off if they took on low-paid temporary jobs due to loss of welfare payments.
