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posted by on Wednesday January 04 2017, @10:48AM   Printer-friendly
from the now-we-wait-and-watch dept.

Basic Income is a subject that regularly surfaces in Soylent discussions, so here's a story about Finland's impending experiment with it:

Finland has become the first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citizens a basic monthly income, amounting to 560 euros ($587 US), in a unique social experiment which is hoped to cut government red tape, reduce poverty and boost employment.

Olli Kangas from the Finnish government agency KELA, which is responsible for the country's social benefits, said Monday that the two-year trial with the 2,000 randomly picked citizens who receive unemployment benefits kicked off Jan. 1.

Those chosen will receive 560 euros every month, with no reporting requirements on how they spend it. The amount will be deducted from any benefits they already receive.

The average private sector income in Finland is 3,500 euros per month, according to official data.

Also at The Guardian and swissinfo.ch.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 05 2017, @05:52AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 05 2017, @05:52AM (#449667)

    You are not wrong and I hate the authoritarians on the left just as I hate them on the right. However rules and regulations are a part of government and the discussion should be more about which ones are worthwhile. Some things are necessary because we live in a society, this weird pure freedom idea is so far removed from reality that I'm not sure what to say... Its a wonderful idea if it could work without tossing millions to the wolves, or allowing the wolves to get worse, but that is not the reality we live in.