Cost of basic income scheme rises
A Scottish Government scheme to pilot a citizens’ basic income has trebled in cost to the taxpayer, new figures have suggested.
Ministers said they would set aside £250,000 to establish schemes in several local authority areas to examine giving every resident a state handout. But documents, obtained by the Tories under Freedom of Information legislation, show that participating councils have stumped up around £600,000 extra in cash and staff time.
The extra cost included £145,000 in North Ayrshire, £198,000 for Fife Council, £100,000 for Glasgow City and £154,000 for Edinburgh City.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has promised to look at introducing a basic income for every citizen.
Under the scenario proposed by campaigners, the basic income would be set at £11,500 for pensioners and £9,000 for adults, with an extra £4,600 for parents with a child. But the Scottish Government’s own advice has described the policy as “unaffordable”witheconomicmodelling suggesting a tax rate on all earned income of 40 per cent would be required to provide a basic income near the current Job Seeker’s Allowance rate of £74 per week.
Scottish Conservative shadow social security secretary Michelle Ballantyne said: “This initiative is an SNP vanity project. It’s completely unaffordable, unsustainable, and will end up harming those it’s supposed to help.”