Swiss village votes for free money. Now it just needs the cash.

Washington: It's hard to say 'no' to something for nothing.

A village in Switzerland has decided to go ahead with an experiment on basic income, with a payout of 2500 francs ($3600) per month. The next step is to raise money to finance the plan via crowdfunding.

Rheinau, Switzerland.

Photo: Wikicommons/Roland Zh

More than 50 per cent of the inhabitants of Rheinau, close to the German border, signed up for the project, according to the organisers website. At least half the 1300 inhabitants needed to say 'yes,' and the count stood at 692 on Monday. The submitted ballots still have to be checked against government data to ensure eligibility.

The decision comes two years after a proposal for a nationwide unconditional state stipend failed to pass in a national vote.

Rheinau, on the banks of the river Rhine an hour by train from the banking hub of Zurich, was selected by filmmaker Rebecca Panian for the basic income trial. She says she became fascinated by the notion during the national debate before up the 2016 vote, decided to select a village as a guinea pig, and make a documentary.

Earnings and social benefits would count against the payment, which will have to be raised from private sources rather than the government.

Given the cost of living in Switzerland, the sum of 2500 francs isn't very large. An entry-level grocery store cashier in the city of Basel working 42 hours per week is entitled to about 3500 francs a month.

While the idea of paying people money -- no strings attached -- has been around for more than a century, it has gained some traction in recent years due to concerns in major economies about rising inequality and jobs losses due to automation.

Finland introduced a pilot project to examine the benefits of a universal basic income, while it's also on the agenda of Italy's populist government.

Washington Post

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