UBI has to be paid for by higher taxes, which increase the cost of doing business and adds more pressure to small businesses than large ones which can hold the burden. UBI is supposed to pay the minimum amount needed to live; by the current $12k/yr proposal, it would still pay $3k/yr less than a person making minimum wage, 40hrs a week 52 weeks an hour. For many jobs, the UBI-wage would probably be closer $6k/yr when most people don't literally make minimum wage, and when many such workers do multiple part-time jobs instead of a single M-F 9-5. So in practice, UBI subsidizes two-thirds of a Walmart's wages. At least some Walmart employees may realize that working full-time for just the remaining third of their income is a bad deal, but Walmart still needs workers. Therefore, because one of the most expensive components of running a business (wages) has been paid for by one of the most expensive and consumption-slowing taxes (a VAT), it is within Walmart's power to raise wages and/or reduce working hours to maintain employment. Most small businesses would be crippled by that. UBI is the ultimate corporate erotic fantasy.
