News | Popular initiative signing week 2–9 May

By Helmo Pape 11 March 2022 Updated on 11 March 2024

News | Popular initiative signing week 2–9 May

The signing week has been set!

Only from 2 to 9 May 2022 can our initiative be signed at all district offices throughout Austria.

A total of 7 popular initiatives will be open for signature at the same time – the focus here being “Implement UBI!”.

There are currently four dozen popular initiatives in total – more than ever before! Current popular initiatives (German). Why are there so many right now, when this instrument of direct democracy has existed for decades!?

UBI and gender equality

Just in time for this year’s International Women’s Day on 8 March, Roswitha Minardi, MBA, in cooperation with the association Das-Grundeinkommen and the Friedensakademie Linz, published volume 4 of “Überlegungen zum Grundeinkommen” (Reflections on basic income) with the promising title “Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen – Herdprämie oder Booster für Geschlechtergerechtigkeit” (Unconditional basic income – a stay-at-home bonus or a booster for gender equality). The author herself has been an active advocate of basic income for many years and also holds various positions in the international women’s network for managers (EWMD). The question of gender equality is often treated controversially in discussions about a UBI, with the main concern being that a UBI could degenerate into a “stay-at-home bonus” for women.

Video on introducing the basic income

The fourth chapter gets down to the nitty-gritty. Here, the question of how to introduce it is discussed in detail. From this consideration of what the UBI replaces and what it does not, the question of financing – or rather of distribution – can then be answered. Finally, there is some economics explaining our basic reasoning as to why we consider which tax suitable to carry the UBI. It is also about a look at the future of work, in order to outline sustainable financing that Austria could even implement on its own as the first country.

And because we don’t do things by halves, not only the UBI comes from a future-proof tax reform, but all the resources needed for the entire state to function.

The content of the fourth video is the crux that almost all politicians and economists who talk about basic income fail to consider. We pay it to ourselves – that is exactly why we could introduce it at any time! Enjoy the video on chapter 4 of “BGE umsetzen, aber wie?” (Implementing UBI – but how?):