Arguments for a universal basic income come from the right and the left. Elon Musk has spoken favorably about it. Some union leaders have pushed for it. And Oregon may have a form of universal basic income on the ballot in November.

We aren’t going to take a stand on the possible ballot measure. It would basically tax corporations and send money to every Oregon resident, roughly $750 a year.

What is this idea?

A universal income means paying people benefits with few or no conditions attached. Most benefits to keep people fed, healthy or housed come with conditions, often on how the money can be spent. A universal basic income is generally unfettered. It doesn’t come with restrictions on how it is spent. Sometimes it doesn’t come with restrictions on what income people have. It could work like a negative income tax.

A version of it has been proposed before in Oregon. Senate Bill 603 in the 2023 session proposed giving 1,000 low-income Oregonians $1,000 a month for two years. The idea was to study what happened. The bill died in committee.

Proponents of universal income believe people know best how to spend their money. A tangle of welfare programs with conditions and limits can create perverse incentives, such as not working more to avoid losing benefits. And they point to studies showing struggling people tend to spend such money benefits on important basics such as food.

Opponents question where the money would come from — in this case it would be Oregon corporations that may or may not be profitable and they would likely just pass along the costs. Some are uncomfortable that people may spend the money on alcohol or other drugs and that it creates an incentive for people to work less. And once something like this is in place, people may want to just keep voting to boost the money paid out.

Obviously we are just scratching the top layers of this issue. The Guaranteed Income Pilots Dashboard tracks some studies: guaranteedincome.us. It is backed, in part, by supporters of the concept. The business lobbying group, Oregon Business and Industry, has plans to fight the Oregon measure.