Reader's Letter Of The Day

From City AM Forum:

Re: The only way to really cut spending is to reengineer the state, yesterday

The cost of government is the net burden on taxpayers.

Simplifying our tax and benefits system by scrapping all means-tested, conditional or contributory benefits, and replacing them with a citizens income, would reduce costs and lower the overall tax burden.

This could save at least £10bn a year, and would also remove crippling rates of withdrawal (which create welfare traps). Saving money and getting people back into work: what’s not to like?

Given that it would only be payable to UK citizens, it even circumvents EU benefit rules.

Name withheld

That looks exactly like the sort of letter I would have written... only it wasn't me. The point being that if everybody gets the same Citizen's Income, the net cost to the average/median household is precisely zero.