Voters in Switzerland have overwhelmingly rejected proposal that would have meant introducing guaranteed basic monthly income for all citizens. referendum took place on Sunday and resulted in almost 77 per cent of voters opposing plan. idea was to provide minimum salary to those who have been citizen for at least five years, whether they worked or not. It was suggested monthly amount could be around $2,500. The group behind proposal argued that initiative was necessary to overhaul Switzerland's social welfare system. spokesperson said it would help fight poverty and inequality. He added that it would provide top-up for people who earned less than minimum wage.
Supporters of plan argued that because work was becoming increasingly automated across Switzerland, there were fewer jobs available for workers. Che Wagner from campaign group Basic Income Switzerland argued that monthly income would not be money for nothing. He said: "In Switzerland, over 50 per cent of total work that is done is unpaid. It's care work. It's at home. It's in different communities, so that work would be more valued with basic income." Opponents said it would cause country many immigration problems. Luzi Stamm from Swiss People's Party said: "You would have billions of people who would try to move into Switzerland."
