The EU says it is pondering a pilot scheme for a bloc-wide basic income for all, and this weekend the Swiss actually get to decide on the idea in one of their referendum votes, the first country to vo
The Swiss will this weekend go to the polls in a referendum on whether they want a universal basic income – the first country to vote on such a measure.
Backers used robots to stage a “Yes” rally, complaining they had “stupid” jobs they would love to see disappear. Far from being a drain on public finances the plan would make good sense, they claim.
“I think the basic income can help redesign the economy and the job market in a way that more people can actually do something they want to do and are fulfilled with their work as well,” said the Basic Income campaign’s spokesman Che Wagner.
The “No” camp is busy out on the streets, too, trying to win the final arguments before Sunday’s vote. They, of course, say it is all too expensive, and it will turn the Swiss into a bunch of slackers.
“We are talking about very big sums of money which, rather than encouraging people who can work to actually go and work and to be financially independent, will encourage people to not do anything, and I think that this goes against our values, and against social cohesion,” said member of the Swiss Radical-Liberal party Nathalie Fontanet.
So, what would you do if your income were taken care of? Come Monday, many Swiss might be asking themselves the same question.