Furthermore, the adoption of a universal basic income would allow the government to eliminate the bureaucracy associated with many existing programs. The maintenance of these bureaucracies is the primary cost of government. Also, the minimum wage would become irrelevant and could be eliminated. Incomes in excess of the UBI would, of course, be subject to the income tax.
There’s this thing called inflation and purchasing power. Also, 30k a year? What would immediately happen is that prices would jump up and keep rising until 30k wasn’t enough.
The real answer is to eliminate welfare altogether. Then the cost of living will go down and there will be less money floating around. Money will get more and not less valuable meaning that poor people would be better and not worse off - especially the poor people who work.
“The incentive to work would be the ability to live above the subsistence level.”
Except that “subsistence level” is pretty comfortable.