BINZ Survey of NZ political parties' positions on Basic Income
The disruption caused to our New Zealand society by the arrival of the Covid-19 corona virus in March this year and the imposed Lock-down conditions brought a resurgence of interest in Basic Income (BI) International leaders in the Basic Income movement called for the introduction of BI as a way to approach the coming economic disruption.
Guy Standing wrote:
"COVID-19 could tip our fragile economic system into a depression. Means testing benefits creates a poverty trap discouraging people from taking work. A basic income would increase the incentive to take whatever jobs become available. Having advocated and tested it for over three decades, I have always regarded basic income as mainly justifiable for ethical reasons, for a good society, although the economy could survive without it. Now, in this pandemic, the economy will not survive without it."
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-made-basic-income-vital/
Petitions were started. One by Action Station - "Coronavirus-emergency-universal-basic-income-for-everyone" This petition reached 11,330 and is still open with recent signees.
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/coronavirus-emergency-universal-basic-income-for-everyone
Two parliamentary petitions were started but their reach was not wide as this petition avenue is not well known.
BINZ sent out a short questionnaire to 11 NZ political parties
"Does your Party have a position on a basic income or a minimum income in Aotearoa New Zealand? If yes, please elucidate. If not please state why you do not."
This questionnaire was sent to:
National Party, Labour Party, New Zealand First, Green Party, ACT, Maori Party, New Conservative Party, ONE Party, New Zealand Social Credit, TOP, Sustainable New Zealand Party
Only three responses were received. The responses are provided here for your information.
TOP
The New Zealand tax and welfare system is complex and holds Kiwis back. Jobs are becoming increasingly insecure. TOP will overhaul the tax and welfare system and introduce a Universal Basic Income (UBI):
* $250 a week for all adults, $40 for children. No conditions.
* With a UBI and flat tax of 33%, you'll effectively pay no tax until you earn over $39,000.
A UBI has been trialled overseas, and it works. A UBI removes the welfare trap and rewards all work. It enables people to train or retrain and gives low paid workers the pay rise they deserve, without forcing businesses to foot the bill. TOP's UBI is fully costed and would deliver a modern and fair taxation system, whilst saving millions in bureaucracy.
The UBI and tax reform is TOP's priority policy for General Election 2020 which means if the party finds itself in the kingmaker position then we'll go with whichever party agrees to implement the UBI. This is the shortest path in our thinking for getting a well thought out UBI into the hands of New Zealanders.
Green Party
The Green Party will reset income support payments with a Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI). This will create a base payment of $325 for every adult not in full time paid work, in a simplified system that puts income support first for anyone who needs it. Under this policy there will be no stand-down periods, no deduction of child support, and no sanctions. This will go together with a fairer approach to abatement, so that people aren't penalised if they earn a little from some part time work or have partners who work.
Everyone not in fulltime paid work, including students, will receive the GMI. Sole parents will also receive a top-up of $110 per family, bringing their base payments to $435 per week. We will build on the existing Best Start system with $100 a week per child universal payment for the families of all children under three and replacing other Working for Families tax credits with a single-Family Support Credit of $190 per week for the first child and $120 per week for subsequent children.
Our plan will protect people's standard of living when out of work, meet the extra costs of supporting children and acknowledge the value of caregiving. Our GMI will level the playing field so everyone can live with dignity, put a roof over their head, and keep food on the table. See our Poverty Action Plan for more: https://www.greens.org.nz/poverty_action_plan .
New Conservative Party
New Conservative does not have a basic income policy. What we do have is a policy that gives everyone on lower incomes more spending power, and that is that the first $20,000 would be tax free. We believe in less government intervention in these sorts of areas and that kiwis should be allowed to choose what they do with their hard-earned cash rather than a government making those decisions for them.
