&gt; By reversing that, you could make negative income tax payments year-round rather than at tax return time.<p>Withholding adjustments would help those in low-paying jobs, part time workers, etc. But how does it address temporary or long-term joblessness without requiring individuals to self-fund until refund time?<p>&gt; A negative income tax is basically equivalent to a basic income funded with a progressive income tax.<p>I disagree. The funding structure is substantially similar -- some people pay more in taxes than they receive. However, by only distributing the payments to a subset of the population, there is a social stigma associated with receiving benefits. With a universal payment, there is no stigma.<p>Consider food stamps. The funding structure is set up so some people pay more in taxes than they get from food stamps, and some pay less. But because only some people receive food stamps, there is a stigma associated with them. By contrast, consider the Alaska dividend, which is given equally to every citizen, regardless of income. There is no stigma associated with receiving or using an Alaska dividend. It isn&#x27;t seen as welfare, but as a right.