BIG Pilot Project - Assessment Report - BIG Coalition Namibia

Section 1: The BIG a small project with a large aimSection 1: The BIG a small projectwith a large aimNamibia In 2002, is the acountry Namibian withone Government'sTaxof thehighestlevels Commission of income(NAMTAX) inequalityproposed in athe universal world.grant alongthe lines ofa Basic IncomeGrant(BIG).Every Namibianshouldhave a citizenshipright to aBasic IncomeGrant.1.1 Introduction to the Pilot ProjectIn 2002, the Namibian Government's Tax Commission(NAMTAX) proposed a universal grant along the lines ofa Basic Income Grant (BIG), to be financed out of a progressiveexpenditure tax on the affluent. This marked aturning point in public consideration.In 2004, concerned with the pace of poverty reduction,in spite of many good efforts, and a public commitmentto reduce it by the Government of Namibia, a cross-sectionof Namibian society, from all walks of life and allshades of political opinion, set up a Coalition to promotea BIG for all Namibians.The Coalition brought different umbrella bodies together.This includes the Churches – represented by theCouncil of Churches (CCN) - the trade unions – representedby the Namibian Union of Namibian Workers(NUNW), the Namibian NGO Forum (NANGOF) and theNamibian Network of AIDS Service Organisations (NA-NASO). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republicof Namibia (ELCRN) with its Desk for Social Development(DfSD) is the legal administrative and financialhome responsible for the implementation of the BIG PilotProject on behalf of the BIG Coalition. Besides theBIG Coalition many other groups and numerous individuals,including local businesspeople, churches,donors, and international agencies gave support andencouragement. Some Government Ministers and seniorofficials have also shown interest and indicated theirwillingness to develop a more universalistic system ofsocial protection and economic empowerment.The proposal developed by the BIG Coalition – followingthe NAMTAX recommendation – is that every Namibian18