The Panama Papers prove it: we can afford a universal basic income Colin Holtz If the super-rich a [View all]

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The Panama Papers prove it: we can afford a universal basic income
Colin Holtz

If the super-rich actually paid what they owe in taxes, the US would have loads more money available for public services






Called a universal basic income by supporters, the idea has has attracted support throughout American history, from Thomas Paine to Martin Luther King Jr. But it has also faced unending criticism for one particular reason: the advocates of “austerity” say we simply can’t afford it – or any other dramatic spending on social security.
If you're rich, you can avoid paying taxes. That's got to change
Jan Schakowsky
The Panama Papers show how vital it is to close tax loopholes so the system’s fair for everyone. It’s a shame some of my colleagues in Congress don’t agree
Read more

That argument dissolved this week with the release of the Panama Papers, which reveal the elaborate methods used by the wealthy to avoid paying back the societies that helped them to gain their wealth in the first place.

Roads and transportation infrastructure. Educated workforces. Courts and legal systems. Innovations sparked by government funding, such as the internet. No one – no matter how smart or hard working – joins the American or global elite without making use of these shared resources.

But while working and middle-class families pay their taxes or face consequences, the Panama Papers remind us that the worst of the 1% have, for years, essentially been stealing access to Americans’ common birthright, and to the benefits of our shared endeavors.



http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/07/panama-papers-taxes-universal-basic-income-public-services



maybe bernie can get his free college money from here along with basic income