DutchNews.nl, June 28,
2015
Utrecht city council is to begin
experimenting with the idea of a basic income, replacing the current
complicated system of taxes, social security benefits and top-up benefits.
City
alderman Victor Everhardt says the aim is to see if the concept of a basic
income works in practice. ‘Things can be simpler if we base the system on
trust,’ he told website DeStadUtrecht.nl.
The experiment will start after the
summer holidays and is being carried out together with researchers from Utrecht
University.
In theory, a basic income consists of a flat income to cover living
costs which, supporters say, will free up people to work more flexible hours,
do volunteer work and study. Additional income is subject to income tax.
The
Utrecht project will focus on people claiming welfare benefits. One group will
continue under the present system of welfare plus supplementary benefits for
housing and health insurance. A second group will get benefits based on a
system on incentives and rewards and a third group will have a basic income
with no extras.
‘We have asked civil service experts if an experiment using
basic incomes is an option and have not had a definitive ‘no,’ Everhardt said.
In addition, the trials fit in well with home affairs minister Ronald
Plasterk’s decision to allow local authorities to experiment more with welfare
benefits, he said.
Crowdfunding
‘What happens if someone gets a monthly amount
without rules and controls?,’ Everhardt is quoted as saying in the
Independent.’ Will someone sitting passively at home or do people develop
themselves and provide a meaningful contribution to our society?’
Other cities,
such as Nijmegen, Tilburg, Wageningen and Groningen are interested in a similar
scheme.
Earlier this year, a crowdfunding experiment using the concept of a
basic income raised enough to allow Groningen campaigner Frans Kerver to live
for a year on €1,000 a month.
The crowdfunding effort is continuing and the
second recipient, if enough money is raised, will be decided via a raffle.
A man
cycles past a cafe displaying Tour de France items for sale, ahead of
the
upcoming Tour de France cycling race, in downtown Utrecht on June 23,
2015.
(Robin van Lonkhuijsen-AFP/Getty Images
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