Universal Basic Income Coalition Position paper

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC), a group of South African civil society organisations, advocates for a universal basic income (UBI) for adults aged 18 to 59 to address structural unemployment, extreme inequality, and poverty. The coalition proposes a rights-based macroeconomic shift away from fiscal austerity toward a redistributive system where a basic income is guaranteed, unconditional, and pegged to national poverty lines to ensure human dignity and social protection.

• The UBIC advocates for a universal basic income (UBI) specifically for adults aged 18 to 59 in South Africa, viewing it as a necessary step toward comprehensive social protection. Unlike some international definitions, the UBIC does not seek to replace existing grants for children or older persons, but rather to introduce a grant that all adults under 60 are eligible to access.
• South Africa faces a severe socio-economic crisis characterized by structural unemployment and extreme poverty. As of the 2015 Living Conditions Survey, 55.5% of adults lived below the upper bound poverty line (UBPL) and 25.2% lived below the food poverty line (FPL). In the second quarter of 2023, the unemployment rate reached 42.1%, with 77.3% of active job seekers being long-term unemployed.
• The coalition demands that the basic income be universal and unconditional, arguing that targeting measures often exclude rightful beneficiaries and create administrative barriers. They propose a 'progressive realisation' approach, starting with the retention and expansion of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, gradually raising the means-test threshold until universality is achieved.
• To ensure the grant is dignifying and eliminates income poverty, the UBIC calls for the payment to be pegged to national poverty lines. They propose that the grant initially be set at the Food Poverty Line (FPL) and increase over time to reach and be indexed to the Upper Bound Poverty Line (UBPL).
• The UBIC argues that the basic income must be redistributive and financed through non-regressive measures to avoid offsetting benefits for the poor. Suggested funding sources include progressive taxation on the wealthiest individuals and corporations, wealth taxes, corporate taxes, and financial transaction taxes, rather than VAT or cuts to public services.
• The coalition emphasizes that payments should be made to individuals rather than households to prevent the exacerbation of intra-household dependence and abuse, particularly against women. They note that household-level grants often result in unequal distribution of resources, with male heads of households typically facing fewer nutrient deficiencies than female members.
• The UBIC positions the basic income as one part of a broader wellbeing framework, asserting that it must be complemented by active labour market policies, industrial policy, and the maintenance of other social grants. They specifically argue that the Child Support Grant (CSG) must maintain parity with the basic income grant to avoid increasing the care burden on women.
• The document calls for an end to fiscal austerity, arguing that the current macroeconomic framework's focus on the debt-to-GDP ratio limits socio-economic rights. The UBIC contends that investing in the poorest will stimulate the economy and grow the tax base, which is a more sustainable way to reduce debt in the long term.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2023). Universal Basic Income Coalition Position paper. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/UBIC-Position-Paper.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Universal Basic Income Coalition Position paper. 2023. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/UBIC-Position-Paper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Universal Basic Income Coalition Position paper |date=October 2023 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/UBIC-Position-Paper.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2023universal, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Universal Basic Income Coalition Position paper}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/UBIC-Position-Paper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }