35. Nobody will accept unpleasant work after the introduction of UBI

   36. Many people will be satisfied with the basic income payment

   37. The loss of income due to unemployment will have a much greater effect with a basic income than now without one

   38. If you give people a basic income, you will be pushing them aside

   39. With a UBI, there is no need for paid work, and that deprives life of much of its meaning

 

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   35. Nobody will accept unpleasant work after the introduction of UBI

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Explanation

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No one would be willing to do any unpleasant or dirty work anymore.

Nobody would want the less attractive jobs because they are poorly paid compared with a basic income.

 

Refutation

 

This objection could be better substantiated.

If the unpleasant work is really seen as necessary, there are surely people who want to do it. As an illustration, a lot of domestic work is now also experienced as unpleasant, but it does get done!

If the enthusiasm for unpleasant work decreases, there are at least two remedies:

• The work can be fully or partially automated.

• The remuneration for this necessary activity can increase.

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36. Many people will be satisfied with the basic income payment

 

Explanation

 

Many people will no longer work if a basic income allows them to participate in society: they will be satisfied with the basic income.

The marginal yield of an hour's work will decrease to such an extent that many people will no longer want to work.

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Refutation:

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As now, there will always be people who want more. The experiments carried out so far also show that the majority of people become more active precisely because of the security that basic income offers.

It is to be expected that some of the paid work will be rewarded less after the introduction of a basic income, especially if it involves attractive work.

It will be possible to automate less attractive work or to reward it better.

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37. The loss of income due to unemployment will have a much greater effect with a basic income than now without one

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Explanation

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The loss of income due to unemployment will have a much greater impact with a basic income than at present (and people will adapt their lifestyles to their income).

 

Refutation

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The objection is based on a certain way of implementing basic income, where the net remuneration of paid work is about the same as it is now and comes on top of the basic income. It is very unlikely that this will be the case. It is expected that both gross wages (due to market forces) and taxes (because the government wants to recover part of the cost of basic income) will be adjusted so that the feared objection will not materialise.

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38. If you give people a basic income, you will be pushing them aside

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Explanation

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If you give people a basic income, you push them aside. You write them off from the labour market.  That is certainly not the right way to deal with people.

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Refutation 

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You will hear this objection particularly in the case of a basic income for certain groups, for example people over 55 or 60 years of age.

The objection ignores the fact that these people can also seize opportunities and that the possibilities to do so are much greater than in the current Participation Act.

Smaller jobs or a small business as a self-employed person are also attractive options to earn some extra money.

The cramped nature of volunteering and informal care can also disappear. 

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39. With a UBI, there is no need for paid work, and that deprives life of much of its meaning

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Explanation

For many people, paid work is a recognition of their usefulness to society. If that were to disappear because you no longer have to work with a basic income, boredom and a large void would result.

How to deal with the loss of identity, if you don't have work. People no longer have the church, the divisions have almost disappeared, the clarity of the Cold War has changed into global chaos; social integration and identity through work and workplaces is therefore of great importance.

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Refutation

 
A basic income is, of course, more than a solution to the problem of employment. Wouldn't work be a punishment?  Having a job, choosing a profession, doing work, we choose because we have to earn a living every day. That choice is not as free as we often think or want to think. If you have applied six times without a result, then your lucky number seven will be accepted, whether you have thought about the employer, the usefulness of your job, or the amount of your salary or not. That's what we call letting the market decide. A Basic Income increases your freedom to choose a job, an employer, a task or not.

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Our prevailing ideology says that we have freedom to enter into employment contracts, but that is relative, under the pressure of the need to earn an income. Thus, a basic income can also provide meaningful freedom. Freedom to choose an artistic existence, to devote oneself to one's children, or to invest in the idea that governs one's life. Making those choices also gives identity, possibly more than the forced choice for bread on the table.

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Paid work remains necessary but is not hampered by basic income. People will continue to be motivated to do meaningful work, and there will be less enthusiasm for pointless work.

In addition, there is a whole range of unpaid work that makes a great deal of sense and for which there is more room.

The meaning of existence can increase considerably as a result. 

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