A ‘basic income’ system could be feasible in Spain, but only by reframing the current debate

Several academics and politicians have argued in favour of a so called ‘basic income’ system, which would provide an unconditional payment to every citizen within a given country to cover basic living costs. José A. Noguera writes on the potential for such a system to solve some of the current issues in Spain. He argues that while the goal of a basic income system is legitimate, it would be extremely difficult to implement this model in practice. Instead he advocates a package of four key reforms which would have the potential to provide most of the benefits of a basic income system for Spanish citizens without alienating those who would be obliged to pay higher taxes.