An important factor has been overlooked in this analysis: synergy. Individuals with low income live with other people. When a group of people all start receiving a BI, their spending power will be more then the simple sum b/c they share and buy in bulk. Therefore the BI does not need to be quite as high as one might otherwise think. I have thought about the appropriate level of BI for years. The best I have been able to determine is that it should be pegged to half the minimum wage, i.e. equivalent to a 20 hour job at minimum wage, which works out to about $600/mo. I believe this strikes the right balance between work incentive and poverty prevention and also lies within the potential budget of the government at approx. $1.5 trillion per year.