Finland’s residents may be given a monthly income of $868 – for doing nothing

Fox News ^ | 12-7-15

[markomalley]

Finland's citizens could soon receive tax-free payouts of roughly $868 a month - just for living in the country.

Proposals being drawn up by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution call for a national basic income that would replace other benefit payments, regardless if the recipient is working or not, The Telegraph reports. It's not clear how Finland would shore up enough cash to make the payouts each year, according to Bloomberg.

Still, government officials say they're trying to encourage more people to return to work. More than 10 percent of Finland's workforce is unemployed, with figures soaring to 22.7 percent among younger workers, according to the Telegraph.

[Armando Guerra]

No dispute with your point that lower taxes and much fewer bureaucrats would be better. I was just making the point that if Finland did this it would be better than what we currently have in this country with a hundred different assistance programs administered by a million bureaucrats and a strong disincentive to not work. The problem is that the progressives in power want people thinking that they can’t afford medicine, food, housing, heating, communication, transportation or education unless they vote the right party into power. Get the sheeple wholly dependent on the handouts and not realizing that if government got out of the way they actually could afford it.

[dfwgator]

FInland has it all!

[Fightin Whitey]

Finland has it all

Cept you and me 'gator.

Let's git pumpan!

[Organic Panic]

And the invading Muslims will get $4000.

[Theoria]

Thomas Paine argued for a guaranteed income twenty years after he wrote Common Sense.

[I want the USA back]

Soon $868 will buy a loaf of bread, and the government will raise it to 1,600, which will, in a few months buy a loaf of bread, spurring the government to raise the amount to 3,200 .....

Undeniable fact of live #4. When liberal laws fail, as they always do, liberals always demand a strengthening of the laws that failed, which then fail again, prompting liberals to demand a strengthening ... (repeat until doomsday),

[MotorCityBuck]

Thanks! I was thinking this thread is usless with out pictures. ;)

[kearnyirish2]

The most important thing is that WE WOULD GET IT AS WELL! Imagine all the freebies we begrudge our gibsmedats - and now we’ll get everything they get (and more if we work).

I would love to get food stamps and such (which I pay for anyway) if it would mean reducing the benefits for the parasite class.

[lowbridge]

Maybe we can export to Finland our supply of gibmedats.

[dfwgator]

Hope Muzzies like Death Metal, because Finland is the Death Metal Capital of the World.

[catnipman]

“Finland’s citizens could soon receive tax-free payouts of roughly $868 a month - just for living in the country ... government officials say they’re trying to encourage more people to return to work”

Wait! What?

[catnipman]

“And the money comes from? Printing presses? Bit coins?”

How about BitCoin presses?

[catnipman]

“I bet a reindeer is harder to mount than a goat.”

Colder, too.

[GOPsterinMA]

Ugh...

[napscoordinator]

It's coming from current programs. This is going to save tax payers a ton of money. I wish they would do this here. We spend a ton of money on various programs. Get rid of all of them and give every working person a thousand buck would be an unbelievable savings.

[Viiksitimali]

Contrary to reports, basic income study still at preliminary stage

There have been misleading reports in the media about the Finnish experimental study on a Universal Basic Income. Only a preliminary study to explore possibilities has begun.

On Monday, December 7, many international media-outlets published misleading stories alleging that a basic income scheme would be launched in Finland in the near future.

“This is not correct. At this point only a preliminary study about the basic income has started”, says Professor Olli Kangas who is leading the study at Kela (Social Insurance Institution of Finland).

An experimental study on a universal basic income began in October. A working group of researchers from a range of organisations under the project leadership of Kela is exploring ways in which to carry out an experimental study focusing on the implementation of a universal basic income scheme. The project is part of the Finnish Government's analysis, assessment and research plan for 2015.
The objective is to identify and compare different models

The Finnish Government's programme calls for the implementation of a universal basic income experiment. The purpose of the experiment is to find ways to reshape the social security system in response to changes in the labour market. The experiment will also explore how to make the system more empowering and more effective in terms of providing incentives for work. Further objectives include the reduction of bureaucracy and the streamlining of the complicated benefits system.

A preliminary study will seek to identify a model for implementing the universal basic income experiment. The experiment in turn will evaluate the effect of a basic income in different population groups and produce an overall cost estimate.
link

[AdmSmith]

Looks like a very good idea.