5 Principles for a Basic Income

 

5 principles for a basic income (PDF)

Disability Action Hall’s hope for a Basic Income

 (Based on the Basic Income Calgary’s Principles)
To learn more about these principles, please visit https://basicincomecalgary.ca/about/ 

Be universal (For all)

·      It is for everyone

Be available to all legal residents of Canada, not necessarily tied to residence. (for individuals who are not able to secure a home and are accessing an emergency shelter and/or emergency housing)

Be adequate (Be enough)

·      The benefit indexed to inflation and adjusted quarterly.

·      It has generous income exemption allowance like AISH so people have an incentive to work.

·      The benefit works on a sliding scale if you have a job (like Calgary’s Low-Income Transit Pass)

·      The benefit is not taxable (like GIS) what you receive is what you get to keep.

Be Individual

On an individual basis and every individual should get it. (If you are a couple you both should get the full benefit-not blended, not based on family income and then create barriers for relationships or empower people who are leaving an abusive relationship to leave without fear).

Be complementary (Works with services and supports)

It will work with social safety net programs as people need more than income to address other barriers to poverty, such as training, education, health care/pharma care, childcare benefit and social housing/rent control/housing subsidies.

Be a step forward

It works in concert with other provincial programs. It is not a step backwards to ensure people are not worse off than before.

 

Some of the wording to help explain the principles are based on the webinar from  by Michael Prince, Part 1 Canada Disability Benefit, what could it look like. November 2020 hosted by the Plan Institute.