Savings debate - Attack on the traffic lights: Söder wants a general overhaul of the citizens' income and calls for a stop to the increase
Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) wants to fundamentally readjust the citizens' income with a Bundesrat initiative and is also calling on the federal government to postpone the planned increase. "The traffic light must postpone the increase planned for January by one year and completely reschedule it," Söder told stern magazine. "The benefit must be separated from flight and asylum. There needs to be more motivation to go to work. That is why we will introduce an initiative in the Bundesrat for a general overhaul of the citizen's allowance. Because the balance between supporting and demanding is not right."
Söder emphasized that the CDU/CSU-led states had already intervened via the Bundesrat before the introduction of the citizen ' s allowance. "We achieved improvements back then, for example on the issue of sanctions. But the citizen's income did not pass the practical test. The overall level is too high. Anyone who works must clearly receive more than someone who does not work. That's why we need changes."
Söder continued: "The expensive citizen's income sets completely the wrong incentives. It won't work that way."
Markus Söder: "We have to change course for all new cases"
Söder's comments have intensified the debate surrounding the citizen's income. Recently, there have also been calls from the FDP to abandon the planned increase.
Söder also called for a stop to citizen's allowance payments to newly arriving Ukrainian refugees. "It would not be legal to cancel anything retroactively. But we must change course for all new cases," said the CSU politician. "And for all other new arrivals, social benefits should only be granted after five years instead of 18 months." The minimum subsistence level would not be changed, said Söder. "But we will process the benefits for asylum seekers in Bavaria using payment cards for clothing and food instead of cash, for example. This will also reduce incentives. And we will have to take a sober look at whether our constitution still matches reality in every aspect of the basic right to asylum."
Around 700,000 Ukrainians are currently receiving citizens' income. CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann also called for this practice to be reviewed this week. There is still no new position on this in the coalition.
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The Federal Government is being urged by Markus Söder, the Minister President of Bavaria and leader of the CSU, to delay the planned increase in the citizens' income and consider a comprehensive overhaul of the system. Söder believes that the current system is too generous and does not provide sufficient incentive for employment.
The Federal Council, which represents the states in the German federal system, has previously intervened on the issue of the citizens' income, with Söder noting that improvements were made, such as on sanctions, but the overall level remains too high.
The controversy surrounding the citizens' income has escalated with the FDP also calling for the planned increase to be abandoned. Söder has proposed a change in policy for new cases of Ukrainian refugees, suggesting that social benefits should only be granted after five years instead of 18 months.
Söder also advocates for the use of payment cards for essential items instead of cash for asylum seekers in Bavaria, claiming that this will help to reduce incentives. The CDU Secretary General, Carsten Linnemann, has also joined the call to review the practice of providing citizens' income to Ukrainian refugees.
Source: www.stern.de
