If the Top 1% Paid Double in Taxes, How Much Could Every Citizen Receive in Universal Basic Income?

Group 1 - The concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI) has gained traction, although a majority of Americans still oppose it, with 54% against the federal government providing a guaranteed income as of 2020 [1] - The top 1% of income earners contributed significantly to federal income taxes, paying 40.4% of the total, which amounted to $864 billion in 2022 [3] - Doubling the tax burden on the top 1% could potentially raise their total tax payments to $1.728 trillion [4] Group 2 - If $1.73 trillion were distributed evenly among approximately 342 million U.S. citizens, each individual would receive an annual UBI of $5,052, translating to about $421 per month [5] - Accounting for administrative costs, which could be around 0.5% of the total income, the effective UBI would decrease to approximately $4,800 annually or $400 monthly [7] - The discussion around UBI has entered public consciousness, but its implementation would likely be a lengthy process [8]