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Hamburg Sets Oct. 12 Vote on Basic-Income Trial

Voters will decide whether to mandate a three-year, €50 million study paying 2,000 residents under a negative income tax.

Overview

  • Ballots are out; in-person voting runs 8:00–18:00 at 185 sites on Sunday with same‑evening counting, election officials say.
  • The measure succeeds if at least 20% of eligible voters vote yes and yes outnumbers no; approval would oblige the Senate to implement within two years.
  • The proposed design guarantees roughly €1,346–€1,350 per month plus health and long‑term care coverage for 36 months, with payments reduced as participants earn income.
  • Participants would be drawn from defined neighborhoods with a control group and pre‑, during‑ and post‑surveys, and results would be anonymized for researchers.
  • The draft caps spending at 0.227% of the city budget (about €50 million including roughly €8 million for research), as major parties urge no and Die Linke and some academics voice support; disclosures show about €680,000 in outside campaign donations, partly from the United States.