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Basic Income: Unintended Consequences

jonthewang.com

61–63 of 63 posts

Re: Basic Income: Unintended Consequences

#61
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In general, I agree, but there is a cost to such regulation in the sense that it would make banks more wary to lend to legitimate borrowers on the promise of future basic income payments. Making it illegal to seize basic income assets in the event of default creates a classic adverse selection problem where bad actors will have incentives to attempt to take a loan. That being said, the point of a basic income in the…

Maybe you didn't read it completely or I was not clear, I would just make it illegal to lend money expecting it to be paid by basic income. Anyone getting basic income should be completely free to spend it any way they want. That is essential.

>Anyone getting basic income should be completely free to spend it any way they want.

Such as to pay off a loan? Therein lies the problem: if you make it illegal to lend money explicitly based on BI, and the debtor pays with BI, who is liable? And if someone is liable, is the debtor truly free to spend BI as they wish? If nobody is liable, then what stops me from claiming that my BI is instead my paycheck, and then taking a loan based on it?

Re: Basic Income: Unintended Consequences

#62
post #7

The main unintended consequence is that nobody is going to want to be a grocery store clerk for minimum wage if they get BI. Hence, salaries for menial jobs will go through the roof... All of a sudden a gallon of milk will have to cost $20 to pay grocery store salaries... Now salaries will need to go even higher so that employees can afford food, themselves... And now you've got hyperinflation.

Nobody wants to be a grocery store clerk for minimum wage, full stop. We don't stay in the retail business because we love not being able to afford anything better than Spaghettios.

Re: Basic Income: Unintended Consequences

#63

The individual is pretty flawed in his reasoning and examples... "Since the lifetime of the average person is roughly 78 years, net present valuing a lifetime of $12,000 yearly basic income payments works out to roughly $287,000 assuming that yearly payments total $10,000 and applying a 4% yearly discount factor. That is enough to purchase a median priced single family home" While factually true, in total, $12k a yea…

He's saying that if you take out a loan for 12k * 78 = 287k, you can buy a house.
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