Social - CDU calls for fundamental reform of the citizens' allowance
The CDU in Lower Saxony's state parliament has joined the call for a comprehensive overhaul of the citizen's allowance. "The citizen's income must be abolished in its current form. We need a new approach that provides more incentives to take up work and at the same time creates the opportunity to get back into work quickly," said opposition leader Sebastian Lechner. Anyone who refuses to accept a job must be sanctioned from the outset, demanded the parliamentary group and state leader. There are many job vacancies in Germany and there is a shortage of workers in many areas.
At the weekend, Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) had already announced that he wanted to fundamentally revise the citizen's income via a Bundesrat initiative. Söder also called for the increase in benefits planned by the federal government for 2024 to be postponed.
The Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband described the debate on the citizen's income as cynical. "This is clearly a discussion on the backs of the weakest in our society. With the citizen's income, those affected are already living at the absolute minimum subsistence level," said state chairwoman Kerstin Tack on Monday.
Instead, the standard rate must be increased from the current 502 to at least 813 euros per month for single adults in order to compensate for inflation and protect against poverty. An increase to 563 euros is currently planned for 2024. "The increase in the basic income at the beginning of 2024 must come, anything else would be unconstitutional in terms of safeguarding the minimum subsistence level," said Tack.
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- The CDU in Hanover's state parliament echoed this sentiment, calling for a significant revision of the citizen's allowance, with opposition leader Sebastian Lechner advocating for the abolition of the current system and the implementation of a new approach that encourages work participation.
- Markus Söder, the Minister President of Bavaria and leader of the CSU, has also proposed revising the citizen's income at a federal level, suggesting a delay in the planned benefit increase for 2024.
- In response to these proposals, the social welfare organization The Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband criticized the debate as heartless, arguing that increasing benefits would only further aid those already living at the poverty line, and urged for an increase in the standard rate of the citizen's allowance to 813 euros per month for single adults to protect against poverty.
- The call for reform of the citizen's allowance is a contentious issue in Lower Saxony, with the CDU and other opposition parties pushing for changes to incentivize work while social welfare organizations and citizens' rights groups express concerns about the impact on those already struggling financially.
- The situation in Lower Saxony reflects a larger debate taking place at the state and federal level in Germany about the role of the citizen's allowance in providing financial support to those in need and the potential impact of changes on the workforce and economy.
Source: www.stern.de
