!Gawaxab calls for study into basic income grant
BIG a ‘noble idea’
The BIG Coalition of Namibia earlier this month hosted a march to demand a universal and unconditional basic income grant of N$500 per person per month.
Bank of Namibia (BoN) governor Johannes !Gawaxab says policymakers will have to critically investigate the feasibility of a Basic Income Grant (BIG) and think about ways in which it can be funded - without placing a huge burden on the country’s finances.
He made the comments at the first monetary policy discussion hosted by the central bank.
According to !Gawaxab, while the BIG is a noble undertaking, it should not come at the detriment of the country’s finances.
“Those types of expenditures, you need to think about how we will fund it. It’s one thing to say we need to have a BIG and there is nothing wrong with that, but we also need to have another conversation. How do we implement and finance this? And once we have alignment between these two, we can get to a point where this noble idea can be implemented without a big drag on the fiscus.”
Social protection scheme
The BIG Coalition of Namibia earlier this month marched to the poverty eradication ministry to demand a universal and unconditional BIG of N$500 per person per month.
“For years, our voices have not been heard, so we decided to organise a march to make sure that the government understands that the people are tired of struggling. The leadership needs to know that people are tired of having to go through bins and rubbish to find food, while we have a government that is supposed to take care of people,” Rinaani Musutua said.
“Young people who are mainly affected by joblessness are the majority and most important people in our country. Therefore, their future needs to be secured. Our leaders must commit to implementing an unconditional and universal BIG as a youth-centred social protection scheme to support young people who are jobless and promote youth development,” a petition read.
He made the comments at the first monetary policy discussion hosted by the central bank.
According to !Gawaxab, while the BIG is a noble undertaking, it should not come at the detriment of the country’s finances.
“Those types of expenditures, you need to think about how we will fund it. It’s one thing to say we need to have a BIG and there is nothing wrong with that, but we also need to have another conversation. How do we implement and finance this? And once we have alignment between these two, we can get to a point where this noble idea can be implemented without a big drag on the fiscus.”
Social protection scheme
The BIG Coalition of Namibia earlier this month marched to the poverty eradication ministry to demand a universal and unconditional BIG of N$500 per person per month.
“For years, our voices have not been heard, so we decided to organise a march to make sure that the government understands that the people are tired of struggling. The leadership needs to know that people are tired of having to go through bins and rubbish to find food, while we have a government that is supposed to take care of people,” Rinaani Musutua said.
“Young people who are mainly affected by joblessness are the majority and most important people in our country. Therefore, their future needs to be secured. Our leaders must commit to implementing an unconditional and universal BIG as a youth-centred social protection scheme to support young people who are jobless and promote youth development,” a petition read.
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