providing a basic standard of living to those who need it comes at such a small proportional cost to the ‘productive’ population

Not to mention that in the vast majority, providing that support allows these people to find work in the first place, or to get a better job. This in turn results in more income and sales tax revenue, meaning that the initial investment is repaid.

This has been proven out over several different social assistance schemes, not just blanket UBI - though UBI is still the best option.