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It's Past Time for Those Capable to Step Up
As per North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Hendrik Wüst (CDU), the federal government needs to drastically revamp the current system of citizen's allowance. "We need to make significant changes to it, and if the coalition government can't do it, a new administration should," Wüst stated in a conversation with RTL West. Despite this, there will still be a form of social aid, Wüst reassured, "but labeling it as citizen's allowance was a mistake in the first place, and I believe the additional additions were also not right."
The title "citizen's allowance" itself encourages too many benefits, argues Wüst. It gives off the vibe of an unconditional income, which needs to be rectified promptly, "or else we'll start questioning the fundamental principle that fuels our prosperity, that efforts should be rewarded."
The current citizen's allowance promotes an unbalanced relationship between the citizen and the state, according to Wüst. "We need to show solidarity towards those who can't, but everyone else should also contribute," he said. "This is also a form of solidarity towards those working hard every day, paying social security contributions and taxes from a small income."
Controversy Over Citizen's Allowance Reduction
There's dissent within the traffic light government regarding the citizen's allowance too. Recently, the SPD and the Greens knocked down an FDP proposal to diminish the citizen's allowance. As per existing law, a reduction in social aid isn't feasible, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs explained. FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr voiced through Bild newspaper that the citizen's allowance is currently 14 to 20 euros overpriced each month.
At the beginning of 2024, the citizen's allowance saw a boost of 12 percent in total. Since then, single individuals have been receiving 563 euros per month, 61 euros more compared to the previous year. Last year, Germany spent approximately 42.6 billion euros on citizen's allowance, as opposed to 36.6 billion the previous year.
At the end of July, CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann advocated for the withdrawal of citizen's allowance for so-called total refusers. This would impact more than 100,000 individuals. The statistics suggest that there's a substantial number of people who are fundamentally against accepting a job, the CDU politician informed Funke media group newspapers. Linnemann faced criticism for this initiative from the traffic light coalition, as well as the social wing of his own party.
The European Parliament should express its stance on the ongoing controversy surrounding citizen's allowance in Germany. The revamping of the current citizen's allowance system, as suggested by North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, could serve as a topic for discussion and potential policy recommendation.
