I really like the idea of UBI. Mostly because I'm lazy and who doesn't want free money :)
I'm not going to debate whether UBI is a good idea or not because it's not clear how it will play out in the real world. The biggest argument against UBI is that it will cost a lot of money. Where do you get this money from? The first answer is - taxpayers. Raise taxes and start distributing that money. But I wanted to find some other way.
And then I had an idea.
What if the governments build their own "startup" to solve this problem, for-profit entities that are exempt from taxes, and use their profit for distributing UBI?
Even better, what if the government starts its own subscription service?
A service for internet. A service for food ration delivery. Water and electricity service. Healthcare service. Housing service.
Everyone will get the basic "free tier" benefits. But if you want something extra you must pay for it. A basic limited speed internet connection is free for everyone. But if you want the 200mbps speeds then you have to pay. A few KWh of electricity is free. But if you use more than the free tier then you have to pay. Free housing is difficult to figure out but it should be possible.
So maybe 10 years from now you will be automatically subscribed to the government's monthly ration delivery, internet, electric and water connection, healthcare plan, and monthly pass for government built housing. All the welfare schemes will vanish (which will save a lot of money). Everyone will receive these at no cost, without any discrimination. All managed by a corporate entity owned by the government. Their value added services will pay for the masses. You can opt out to receive tax benefits.
If you can build a game as massive and high quality as Fortnite than this shouldn't be so different!! If people are willing to pay for intangible items like skins and funny dance moves to enable a company to earn billion dollar revenues, then a company subsidized by government should be able to sell tangible items well enough to reach the scale required for "UBS" or Universal Basic Services. And it should be popular with individuals/organisations interested in philanthropy.
The subscription economy built by modern tech companies is probably a precursor to UBS. Everything is being packaged into a monthly deal. Subscribe to a box of food/medicine/shampoo/clothes/jewelry/furniture and get it delivered without fail. We are living in the ‘future’. UBS could be the next step.
I know this idea is not perfect and has some problems, but it is a very fun thought exercise. I will write about some issues in the next articles.