KarunaNews Story

Eight people in Rotterdam, Netherlands, who are struggling to make ends meet will get €1,000 a month for a full year on top of their regular income as part of a continuing experiment by private foundation Stichting Collectief Kapitaal. While freelancers and people on zero hours contracts are encouraged to apply, the experiment is open to everyone with a low income. Candidates will be chosen by lottery. The foundation wants to find out what having the extra money means for people's lives. "In particular, we want to know what changes in you as a person if you don't have to justify yourself all the time," said spokesman Jet De Nies. Funding for the experiment has come from donors and is tax free for participants. Some 830,000 people in the Netherlands are currently thought to be living below the poverty line, including 6.7% of the country's children.