Spanish Government Aims to Roll Out Basic Income ‘Soon’
Spanish Government Aims to
Roll Out Basic Income ‘Soon’
Rodrigo Orihuela April 5,
2020
(Bloomberg) -- The Spanish
government is working to roll out a universal basic income as soon as possible,
as part of a battery of actions aimed at countering the impact of the
coronavirus pandemic, according to Economy Minister Nadia Calvino.
Social Security Minister
Jose Luis Escriva is coordinating the project and plans to put some sort of
basic income “in place as soon as possible,” with the main focus on assisting
families, Calvino, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said in an
interview Sunday night with Spanish broadcaster La Sexta.
But the government’s broader
ambition is that basic income becomes an instrument “that stays forever, that
becomes a structural instrument, a permanent instrument,” she said.
Spain is dealing with the
second worst coronavirus outbreak in Europe, and the pandemic has pushed the
government to order a state of emergency, which has put the country in lockdown
and driven the economy to a stand-still. The government has announced a barrage
of policies to assist self-employed workers and companies, mainly small and
medium-sized, but has also said that more measures will be required.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Comments
Post a Comment