The Government Should Give Each Citizen A Basic Income So That They Have Enough Money To Live On

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Sample essay

It is believed by some that each citizen should be paid a fixed salary by the government, regardless of their employment status. While I believe that the practice of giving a basic allowance to all the people is good for the wellbeing of the society, it is not possible for all countries to implement it because of its cost.

Firstly, the provision of a basic salary can be effective in alleviating poverty. It enables the poorest of the poor to meet their basic necessities like food and shelter. In addition, malnutrition and infant mortality, which the poor people often suffer from, can be avoided / prevented by disbursing money to them. Also, when people are able to fulfill their basic needs, they will some energy and inclination to look for a job or educate their children to improve their life prospects. Furthermore, traditionally unpaid sections of the society such as non-working parents and caretakers can be empowered with a basic income. In the end, this measure will definitely benefit the lower strata of the society.

On the other hand, if the government goes ahead with the objective of providing an allowance to all the people regardless of their employment status or financial situation, it will incur huge debts. Even the wealthiest countries will find it difficult to implement this scheme because of the pressure on the exchequer. Also, any such measure is more likely to invite sharp criticism from the tax payers. Worse still, many people who receive this salary for doing nothing will simply lose their inclination to find a job. So, obviously, there are downsides too.

To sum up, while the intention behind providing a basic salary to all the people is laudable, it is not a viable measure and will throw countries into major financial problems if they attempt to implement it. Of course, there is no harm in providing a basic salary to the poorest sections of the society. But bringing everyone under the ambit of this scheme would be foolish.

Sample essay 2

Some people argue that authorities must provide a small amount of money to every citizen so that they can lead a better life. However, I completely disagree with this notion because it will narrow down the scope of improvement in other sectors and lead to the proliferation of unemployment in a nation.

The main reason why I oppose this viewpoint is that it would affect the investment in other significant domains such as health, education and infrastructure. A hefty amount is required to give even a small amount to every citizen. Hence, most nations will go bankrupt if they attempt to do this.  For instance, during covid-19 pandemic, many developed nations assisted their people by giving them some money but it affected their spending in other areas. This practice of giving away money will therefore have tremendous impact on the availability of better basic amenities to the citizens.

Another reason for my disagreement is that it will exacerbate the unemployment situation in a country. This is because when people get financial assistance from government they may show reluctance to work especially if that money is sufficient to meet their basic necessities. Many people are lazy and work just because they have to earn money to live. If they get money for being unemployed, they will lose all the inclination to find unemployment. Consequently, the workforce will shrink and unemployment rate will increase. This situation will have disastrous consequences for a nation in the long term.  

To conclude, if the government decides to give a small amount to every citizen so that they can fulfill their basic requirements, there will be a dramatic increase in the number of people choosing to remain unemployed. Also, this provision requires a hefty amount which most nations cannot afford. In the end, it will hurt a nation’s growth and lead to the collapse of its economy.

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Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.