Hi ,

Welcome to On The Level, the Equality Trust's weekly email! Don't worry, this is the same newsletter you've already been receiving; I've just changed the name of it.

Today, the Prime Minister warned the country that the upcoming Autumn Budget would be "painful" and predicted that "things will get worse before they get better". Let's be very clear upfront: if that prediction comes true, it's because the government has chosen for that to happen.

The effect of austerity on the UK has been extremely clear. Child poverty has rocketed, unlike comparable European countries. Our life expectancies were shortened, public services have been teetering on the edge of collapse for years, and schools and hospitals are literally crumbling away.

Throughout austerity, the super-rich thrived. The pandemic, then the cost-of-living crisis, turbocharged inequality as profits and dividends soared. The result is that the 10 richest men in the world doubled their wealth during the pandemic, while UK billionaires enjoyed a £150bn top up to their wealth from 2020-2022 alone.  Dividend payments in the UK have never, ever been higher.

Escaping the crises we're trapped in requires investing in people and our communities. We need to invest in schools and hospitals, invest in a green transition, and invest in wages and welfare. That has to come first. If the government decides it can't afford to do these things, then it's very clear where the money for that is.

That's why we need to demand a different approach. According to Tax Justice UK in their response today, taxing the super-rich and wealthiest companies could raise £60bn each year. Unite, the second-biggest union in the UK, are now calling for a 1% wealth tax on fortunes over £4m, a massive breakthrough for the wealth tax campaign. The Greens, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, and SNP have all called for more taxes on wealth and income from wealth, and the public remain incredibly in favour of more taxes on the richest.

We cannot have an austerity budget this October. Together, we plan to make the demand for more equality impossible to ignore.

What do you think about ideas like UBI or UBS? What would change in your life if you had access to them? You said:

• "UBI > culture of autonomy + the potential for mutual aid = localism.
  UBS > culture of dependency and continuation of bureaucratic means testing = statism."
  
• "Universal basic income doesn’t allow for the financial needs of children or the different costs of living in different areas. There would also still be huge disparities of income, levels of child poverty and the social mix of people living in communities. This would continue the differences in quality of services and outcomes for children around the country .
  The universal provision of services is a social unifier and encourages a general commitment to ensure that services are accessible and of high quality throughout the country. It is especially important that services for children and support for families allow children to develop well to become well adjusted and educated healthy adults for the future of society. This will be cost effective in the longer term."
  
  
• "My only gripe with UBS is something I saw in Sweden. From the 1950s onwards, their population was rapidly urbanising and they did a huge drive to provide housing for incoming people from rural areas and for population expansion in general, due to improved healthcare and food. The concept of "Lowest Acceptable Standard" was created so no housing would be created that was "unhealthy". The motive for this was honorable, but the result was that nothing was ever built that was *better* than the absolute minimum stipulated by regulations. There are huge areas of the saddest housing you have ever seen in circles around the cities in Sweden. Livable yes, but joyless. Utterly joyless, grey and depressing. My fear with UBS is that though it would provide a floor, it might inadvertently also provide a rather low ceiling."
  
  
• "UBI is no silver bullet. We need other progressive policies too: PR (the key to everything) + UBI + UBS + GND + LW + 4DW + Right to food + more. With UBI, I'd be able to work a 4 or even 3 DW, with the other days devoted to "working" on something I enjoy and value. A UBI would reduce the stress I feel every month when the bills roll in and there's no cash to pay them. With a UBI, I'd pay off debt, enroll in some classes, volunteer more, buy good quality food, clothes for my kids, and maybe even go out every so often."
  
  
• "I think UBI would make a profound difference to our society. I have not thought too much about UBS, but it would, I think, have a similar effect. Either, or both, would reinforce the feeling of inclusion in a society i.e. that we are not just individuals acting alone for ourselves, but are part of a society that, to some extent, cares for/about us, and in return expects us to care for that society i.e. care, respect, and take responsibility for others in that society... I would love, I think, to live in a society that had UBI (or UBS). I think it would feel utopian."