French councillors keen for base revenue test

Thirteen departments want to start a system of ‘basic revenue’ payments to see if it cuts administration.

Called revenu de base, it is not a universal revenue but a fusion of existing benefits that are unclaimed by a third of beneficiaries due to complexity. It would pay from €461 to €725.

If approved, tests would involve a sample of 20,000 people in Ardèche, Ariège, Aude, Dordogne, Gers, Gironde, Haute-Garonne, Ille-et-Vilaine, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Nièvre and Seine-Saint-Denis.