@djc it depends on your baseline. but if you consider relative to the counterfactual of a universal benefit, a means test finances the benefit in large part by imposing a high tax on near-beneficiaries rather than a broad tax on everyone. and a broad tax on everyone makes more sense. 1/

@djc relative to a baseline of no benefit, sure, everyone is financing only-not-rich parents. but near-beneficiaries (eg just rich enough parents) parents bear the cost of being part of the transferee class AND the cost of financing the benefit. they are not treated “just like everyone else”, since they still have to bear costs nonparents of the same wealth level do not have to bear. /fin