Thread by @scottsantens

I'm in Oslo, Norway, and the UBI Nordic 2019 conference has just begun. Here's the link to the live stream.



#BasicIncome #UBI #UBINordic

VAT is the most efficient tax that exists, besides other corrective taxes like carbon taxes, and land value taxes. Instead of taxing what people put into the economy, VAT taxes what people take from the economy. VAT on its own is regressive but with UBI is the optimal tax system.

"I want real freedom of movement in Europe where people have the ability to move, but they also have the ability to stay."

Barb Jacobson making the vital point that an EU-wide dividend would not only eliminate holes in national UBI systems, but also reduce desperation migration.

The concept of ecological economics reminds me of positive psychology. Instead of only focusing on diagnosing and treating illnesses, let's figure out ways of using economics to develop a qualitatively better more sustainable society on a world of finite resources. #ubinordic

"The notion that a UBI by removing the fear of starvation would lead to people on their couches drinking beer and watching Netflix is a fundamental misunderstanding of human behavior. Humans have a fundamental human need to be needed."

Great quote from Thomas Hylland Eriksen

Revolutionary goals through evolutionary means.

That was a great answer to a question from the audience about if we need a revolution to make UBI and everything else happen.

Let's set our goals high and achieve them through evolutionary steps like UBI and growing UBI over time.

A little money is better than no money. A lot of people have no money. UBI ends that. Any UBI, however small, on an unconditional and regular basis, is a massive improvement to having no income or an insecure unstable amount of income. #NordicUBI

Poverty is a problem but extreme richness is also a growing danger to democracy, so basic income is also extremely important for the reason of redistributing dangerous levels of wealth in order to improve democracy itself. #NordicUBI

The panel I'm in is up next if you want to watch it. 👍

I'm now in one of the three parallel sessions, where UBI pilots will be discussed. The wonderful Annie Miller started off by describing how many people already have basic incomes.

"I have a basic income. It's called a pension and it's fantastic."

Two bullet point results of the survey of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot participants as shared by @jennablink of @basicincomecdn:

✔️58% improved their housing situation

✔️88% experienced less anxiety

Those really are two big findings, however unofficial they are.

#NordicUBI

Very interesting story from @JohannesPonader of @meinbge about what it was like to be in a room with 25 recipients of #BasicIncome, and how he's never experienced a room before of so little evil, where everyone was so friendly and described a shared "basic income feeling."

I just learned that a referendum is in the works for a large (10k pop) UBI pilot in Germany. Support for UBI is at 50%, but support for a UBI pilot is at 70%, so a referendum is likely to win, and the result would be the first pilot demanded by the people themselves via ballot.

Sarath Davala shared a fascinating unexpected long-term result of the UBI pilot in India. One immediate result was a fishing co-op. Years later they'd saved up a bunch of money as a co-op, and decided to use their accrued wealth to provide interest-free loans.

#NordicUBI

In regards to the Yellow Vest Movement, @NicoleTeke1 of @revenudebaseFr just shared a presentation concluding that although their primary focus now appears to be tax justice via the return of the wealth tax and cracking down on tax havens, UBI is on the radar and slowly growing.

If you make peaceful revolution impossible, you make a violent revolution likely. As most people in France grow poorer, they will have nothing left to lose. With 41% already open to violent revolution as a solution, France really needs to end economic insecurity, or else… again.

I forgot to post the new live stream link for the second part of the day. Here it is so you can watch live what I'm watching in person here in Norway.



#BasicIncome #NordicUBI #YangGang

Here's another link from earlier. So far there are three videos. This is the second video. #NordicUBI

"Universal Democracy must and will enable Universal Basic Income, which in fact will be the savior of herself, too."

I've made this point previously as well. Democracy and UBI need and reinforce each other.

My take: medium.com/basic-income/w… #BasicIncome #YangGang #NordicUBI

Democracy was a redistribution of power in a world of kings. Unconditional Basic Income is a redistribution of power in a world of billionaires. Democracy & UBI are sociological evolutions that serve to support and grow each other. They are a positive feedback loop for progress.

Okay, Day 1 has come to an end, so no more live tweeting from me today. I'll start live tweeting again tomorrow, and I will be chairing a session at 11:15 AM titled Communicating UBI to the Public. See you then!

#NordicUBI #BasicIncome

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