Poverty and a Basic Income Grant: Six questions about a BIG
- There is no clarity about what proponents of a BIG want, but it seems like they envisage a programme that would cost between R200 billion and R300 billion a year.
- Public finances are already unsustainable, so a new commitment at this scale is unaffordable.
- Raising taxes to pay for a BIG would slow economic growth, with severe consequences for the economy, including the poor.