Abstract
This chapter attempts to determine the actual static cost of the introduction of a fully fledged unconditional basic income in Switzerland. The funding resources available for this policy initiative are also scrutinised. A “Clearing model” is presented in this work, and the share of social insurance benefits to be taken into account for the basic income (BI) amount is assessed. Options for covering the resulting gap are discussed, and an overview over the recent financing discussion in Switzerland is given.
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Notes
- 1.
SKOS, Guidances, http://skos.ch/skos-richtlinien/.
- 2.
For the “Latte-Macchiato-These” see http://www.grundeinkommen.ch/milchschaum/.
- 3.
Das Solidarische Bürgergeld, see http://www.dieter-althaus.de.
- 4.
Figures are from Financial statistics of Switzerland 2012 (for the year 2010), annual report, Federal Finance Department.
- 5.
For the full text of the initiative, see https://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/vi/vis423t.html.
- 6.
- 7.
Gerfin/Leu, Die Volkswirtschaft Nr. 6/2005; Schaltegger, Fed. Tax Administration, 2004.
- 8.
Tobias Müller, Partizipationseinkommen: ein wirkungsvolles Instrument im Kampf gegen die Armut? Die Volkswirtschaft 7/2004, aktualisiert in Soziale Sicherheit 4/2008, BSV, Bern.
- 9.
- 10.
Full text of the “message”: https://www.admin.ch/opc/de/federal-gazette/2014/6551.pdf.
- 11.
Otherwise, up to now none of the BI promoters has considered using any funds of the second pillar for the financing of the BI in Switzerland, although this semiprivate professional old age pension scheme (mandatory for salaries above 20,000 CHF/year) has got some weaknesses, above all at the lower end of the earned income scale. Obviously, this part of the old age insurance does not exist at all for persons who have not been able to exercise any professional activity.
- 12.
Martino Rossi, economist, researcher, former municipal counsellor of Lugano.
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Jörimann, A. (2017). Financing Basic Income in Switzerland, and an Overview of the 2016 Referendum Debates. In: Pereira, R. (eds) Financing Basic Income. Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54268-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54268-3_3
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