Guaranteed basic income for all?

What would you do if your income were taken care of? With this slogan recently spread across an 8,000-square-metre poster on Geneva’s Plainpalais Square, awareness was raised for the vote on a guaranteed basic income by its proponents. While the proposal did receive a fair amount of attention, Switzerland’s voters clearly rejected it when it was put on the ballot in early June this year.

The proposal introduced the idea of a guaranteed income for all Swiss residents, no strings attached. This would mean that every resident of Switzerland would receive a basic income, whether or not they are employed and regardless of their age. The guaranteed income was intended to enable a life of dignity and support the ability to participate in public and cultural events without one’s financial security being solely dependent on employment.

Although the exact amount of the proposed income was not determined in the initiative itself, an untaxed monthly income of CHF2,500 (US$2,550) for each adult and CHF625 for each child under 18 was suggested as a basis for discussion.