Green Paper

CORI Justice Commission has welcomed the publication of the Government's Green Paper on Basic Income. • In particular it has welcomed the fact that the Green Paper vindicates CORI Justice Commission’s claims that a Basic Income system would have a far more positive impact on reducing poverty than the present tax and welfare systems. • The Green Paper shows that a Basic Income system would have a substantial impact on the distribution of income in Ireland in that, compared with the present tax and welfare system it would:
· Improve the incomes of 70% of households in the bottom four deciles (i.e. the four tenths of the population with lowest incomes) and
· Raise half of the individuals that would be below the 40% poverty line under ‘conventional’ options above this poverty line.
According to the Green Paper, these impacts would be achieved without any resources additional to those available to ‘conventional’ options.• The Green Paper shows that a Basic Income system is far more effective at tackling poverty than the present tax/welfare system and should form part of a comprehensive strategy to totally eliminate income poverty in the years immediately ahead.

CORI (Conference of Religious of Ireland)

Justice Commission statement

on the publication of the Irish Government's Green Paper on Basic Income.