This new report commissioned by the Social Liberal Forum from the UBI Center, a US-based research organisation, is explicitly intended as a challenge to the UK basic income debate - and particularly the Liberal Democrat policy development process - to keep in mind the true potential of Universal Basic Income as a transformative policy intervention. To do this, the UBI Center team have taken a "blank slate" approach.
The report:
- Outlines the surprisingly long history of the UBI debate in the United Kingdom
- Sets out the very positive data on public opinion of the idea
- Examines the existing UK tax and benefits systems and challenges whether they are fit for purpose, even as a starting point
- Sets out a model for a UBI policy that would drastically reduce both poverty and inequality in the United Kingdom