Voters in Switzerland overwhelmingly reject guaranteed income plan
Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal that would have guaranteed a basic income for all residents, with nearly 77 percent opposed to the measure.
Only 23 percent of voters supported the proposal, which called for giving adults, whether or not they work, a suggested 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,560) a month, as well as 625 Swiss francs ($640) per child. Switzerland was the first country to hold such a vote.
Supporters said as more jobs become obsolete due to advanced technology, there aren't enough employment opportunities, while opponents claimed such a proposal would bring more people to the country, looking for a handout. "In Switzerland, over 50 percent of total work that is done is unpaid," Che Wagner from Basic Income Switzerland told the BBC. "It's care work, it's at home, it's in different communities, so that work would be more valued with a basic income."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Taliban's quest for tourists to see the wonders of Afghanistan
Under The Radar Troubled country wants to become a 'tourism powerhouse' – but how safe is it?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - May 17, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 17, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - May 17, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 17, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published