The government’s announcement yesterday to help alleviate the burden of the cost of living crisis with a 25c reduction in fuel tax and halving public transport costs for the next 3 months isn’t going to help relieve the stresses of people in low income households.
“This government could be a government for the people by ensuring they provide support for all doing it tough on the frontlines of poverty. They could have announced a plan to make public transport free for all with a wider strategy for rural communities and our disabled whanau to ensure that it’s quality and accessible, alongside lifting benefits to liveable incomes. Giving money to people and families directly would help alleviate some of the stresses many of our people are struggling through right now with the cost of living and housing crisis” says Coordinator for Auckland Action Against Poverty Brooke Pao Stanley.
We have the capacity and support to do this – many New Zealanders want to see benefits lifted and the societal flow on effects would be transformational. Poverty sits at the intersection of many of our problems – if we adopt the team of 5 million energy to address this we would make sure those of us who need the love and care required to be well have it, as well as save so much of our costs in our health, education and criminal justice system. A free for all public transport system which encompasses a quality service in rural areas and is universal in design ensures that everyone can access it can also be a stepping stone to other Universal Services. We should be looking after all of us, not just some of us.
Like anything such change will need to be organised and fought for in communities and by the new gen of younger voters in particular.
–Free Wifi nationwide for lower income groups to help bridge the digital divide that COVID bought out into the open when schools closed and thousands of kids were left struggling.
–Fare Free public transport nationwide with expanded routes and frequency
–Basic Income trial, all citizens to receive several hundred dollars a week via IRD
–Retire WINZ/MSD, replace with a new agency for those with health and social needs beyond a basic income
–State House mega build including tiny houses for homeless and emergency housing
–Wipe all MSD debt immediately, particularly debt for emergency housing like motels
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a good idea for many reasons. However, the neolib’s think of it as a handout that will distort their unfair and unjust business model modus operandi. Well, it is unfair and unjust if you are not part of the landed genrty (e.g. home owners) because, of course, it would need to be funded and the initial costing would be high. But (especially over a few years) it would ‘pay for itself’ in savings to welfare (MSD could be largely dismantled as their would be no means testing) and health – both physical and mental. Also the structural improvement for much of the population would lead to increased opportunities for saving and investment as the vast majority of the population would no longer need to live week to seek. All the savings from this approach would necessarily be impacted by a funding lag while the next system bedded in.
There is another factor that supports UBI – the reality that the future of employment is concerning. Most physical work will be able to be done by different types of technology so the actual number of work roles will decrease. Only those with specialised skills will be able to find work – despite the fact new types of work will emerge that are currently unheard of – but there is no way to know if there will be enough replacement roles. UBI takes away the neccessity to work, but opens opportunities to undertake voluntary work and other zero or low income work.
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