Taxes: Being Positive About the Negative

To many Americans, the idea of a guaranteed income smacks suspiciously of a dole to people who refuse to get a job. Others argue that this would not be the case with a guaranteed-income scheme called the "negative income tax." Intended to preserve at least some incentive to work, the proposal has at tracted remarkably disparate support —ranging from University of Chicago Economist Milton Friedman, a 1964 adviser to Barry Goldwater, to Yale's James Tobin, a former economic adviser to President Kennedy. Last week the idea got a big boost from inside...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!