Does Income Guarantee Income help out of poverty?
- The Government and the UAI have agreed on changes in the IGR, announcing greater flexibility in access to benefit and more money for applicants in the CAPV. But if you delve deeper into the money, into the conditions and into the management, there are voices who have criticized that what they have wanted to sell as “an innovative advance” is not that way.
Changes arising from the pre-agreement
Starting in 2023, the IGR's application age has increased from 23 to 18 years, if the 18 to 23 year-old demonstrates that he has been seeking work for at least one year and is emancipated. As for registration in the CAPV, the majority will have to certify three years of registration as before, but in the case of the most vulnerable groups it will be enough with one year of registration and with the agreement between the Basque Government and Elkarrekin Valencia-IU the period of registration will be reduced to certain groups, contrary to what has been done so far (victims of sexual exploitation). Another change that they have underlined is that the maximum income will not be less than 60% of the average income of the Spanish State (if it had other income it would have to be allowed to reach that figure with the RGI). That is to say, for the following year, for example, that amount will be EUR 803. Currently this amount amounts to EUR 727 and the initial proposal was to increase to EUR 737.
Main criticisms
The new approach of the IGR has received two main criticisms. On the one hand, the financial envelope and, on the other, the conditions for access to it.
A number of actors point out that the GDR has taken into account the Spanish State average and that the CAPV average should be considered. This is also believed by EH Bildu, and although in each case it is different, taking into account the data of the CAV calls for the rent to be EUR 933 instead of the EUR 737 that have been agreed in the pre-agreement.
Regarding the conditions, they still have a lot to make more flexible, and stress that in order to receive the IGR, three years of registration in the CAPV would have to be passed – as has been said, this is already the case for some groups, but not for the citizens in general. Moreover, EH Bildu calls for a change of mind in the fight against poverty: Commitment to the implementation of a universal income without conditions from the age of 18.
They have also placed emphasis on the management of the benefit from Argilan ESK and have denounced the creation of a new Lanbide Inspection Corps, “the new Lanbide real police”, “to care for and control perceptors, although Lanbide’s fraud does not reach 1%.”
Also with the benefit, in a deficient way
In essence, the IGR model says Argilan ESK that it does not work, as it has not been effective in coping with poverty in more than three decades. It leaves 30% of the population at risk of poverty without coverage, “there are many conditions and obligations that make it impossible for almost a third of the poor to access the IGR”, and although it receives the benefit, 53% of the beneficiaries cannot get out of the poverty situation, “the budgetary amount is low”.
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