{UAH} Swiss voters reject basic income grant for all

Swiss voters reject basic income grant for all

Final referendum results show that nearly 77 percent say "No" to the plan, with only 23 percent backing it.

Swiss voters have rejected by a wide margin a proposal to provide a universal basic income grant to all citizens, according to official results.

Final results from Sunday's referendum showed that  76.9 percent said "No" to the plan, with only 23 percent backing it.

Voters went to the polls to decide whether the wealthy country should grant all Swiss citizens an unconditional basic income (UBI) that supporters say will tackle poverty and inequality.

Foreigners who have been legal residents in Switzerland for at least five years would also be eligible for the grant.

The amount to be paid was not determined before the vote, but the group behind the initiative has suggested paying $2,500 a month to each adult, and $640 for each child.     

Driven by a group of independent citizens, the initiative collected 126,000 signatures triggering the referendum.

Supporters argued that providing such a income grant would assist people in a world where good jobs with steady salaries are becoming harder to find. They claimed the initiative could be easily financed through slight increases in sales tax, or through a small fee on electronic transactions. 

The Swiss government and nearly all the country's political parties had urged voters to reject the initiative.

Authorities have estimated an additional $25.62 bn would be needed annually to cover the costs of a UBI [EPA]

Andreas Ladner, a political scientist at Lausanne University, told RTS the Swiss were "realistic" in their assessment of the UBI plan.

Accepting that people can "be paid without having to work would have been a very big step" for the industrious Swiss, he said.

Critics also criticised the initiative as "a Marxist dream", warning of sky-high costs and people quitting their jobs in droves, to the detriment of the economy.

Authorities estimated an additional $25.62bn would be needed annually to cover the costs, requiring deep spending cuts or significant tax hikes. 

That argument likely hit home with the Swiss who have previously rejected initiatives that would have ushered in a minimum wage and increased paid holidays from a minimum four to six weeks, fearing they would hurt competitiveness.

But supporters of the UBI initiative were not cowed by the resounding defeat, insisting that their main objective had been to get people talking about the idea.

"We are very happy," Ralph Kundig, one of the lead campaigners, told the ATS news agency.

Supporters threw a party in Lausanne to celebrate the 23 percent of votes they had garnered.

"One out of five people voted for the unconditional basic income, so that is a success in itself," Sergio Rossi, an economics professor and backer of the initiative, told ATS.

The income grant was one of five issues on the ballot on Sunday. People also voted on issues related to public services and the application procedures for asylum-seekers.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

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