A means test applied at the time one files one's income tax return makes a
GAIA no less universal. Everyone would be subjected to the same test, not
just certain people, and the numbers would do the evaluation of
'worthiness', not someone sitting across a desk from you.

Essentially, a GAIA paid by cheque to everyone in Canada and then taxed back
vs. a GAIA issued as a tax refund, is the same thing; the difference is the
time delay in the first year of implementation. However, the average person
would likely find the latter method easier to stomach - although it would
still be a hard sell due to misunderstanding about the nature of work, who
works, and why.

Concerning the amount of a GAIA, which is a question that came up in private
correspondence, perhaps a larger question is... Do we want a flat rate for
each person (say $12,000), regardless of where they live or household size,
or a rate that adjusts to these? If the latter, then I'd like to see
regional, provincial and federal govts cooperate (!), so that the threshold
would be adjustable to the economic condition of each region, rather than to
our provinces/territories, which are larger than most countries. In terms of
household size, Canada's tax system has mechanisms now that (are intended
to) adjust the amount of tax owing accordingly.

I do wonder about the possible advantage of a flat rate, which raises
chicken-and-egg questions. E.g., is Toronto or Vancouver more expensive
because salaries are larger? Or are salaries larger because it's more
expensive to live in Toronto or Vancouver? If the GAIA were set at a flat
rate, it could well help lift areas that have come economically deprived. It
could encourage sons and daughters, who have fled to urban areas to earn a
living, to return home.

[Thread drift] With respect to human beings as social animals, it doesn't
follow that they are therefore fundamentally good. Chimps, elephants, and
many other species are social animals, and as any ethologist can attest,
they frequently work for a common cause, as do bees, ants, and so on.
Suggestions that humans are fundamentally good always gets my knickers in a
twist, as there is much evidence that it just ain't so. [/end thread drift]

Ocean, WISE Coordinator
http://www.wise-bc.org/

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