@scottsantens If you look at countries that have amazing social benefits such as free universal healthcare and free education, which is another form of non-refundable tax credit, the actual income tax is quite high. In other words, nothing is really "free".

As the recent scandals in the media have shown, the wealthy individuals and corporations from those countries seem to end up using offshore bank accounts to hide their wealth and avoid high taxation.

As long as UBI tax on the top tier earners does not go over a certain psychological/mathematical level, it could work. But keep in mind that UBI will have to be increased by Cost of Living Allowance on a yearly basis due to inflation and other factors. For the wealthy, UBI may just seem like an additional tax on their wealth/income, unless you can mathematically prove that it would reduce or maintain their tax burden.

Also, many will just mention the numerous Socialist economical experiments and the effects of "socialist" policies on the economy and society. It seems like a steep uphill battle to convince the upper class to be for UBI, but nothing is impossible these days with good PR and "ethical lobbying" (I hope that is not an oxymoron).

On the other hand, most democratic governments do have an incentive to pass UBI laws as that would maintain the majority happy and satisfied with those in power, hence solidifying their staying power in politics. However, all governments/countries need capital, brain/manpower and resources, and if one of those is lacking or leaves, economies/societies may experience periods of decline.

Like I stated before, it is a complicated balancing act. I think more people should get involved in this discussion.