Lindneraims at conserving substantial sums from the citizens' budget.
Almost two years into its existence, the Citizen's Basic Income is under fire. The Union is pushing for its elimination. Meanwhile, Christian Lindner, the Finance Minister, plans to revamp the scheme as well. He suggests implementing a fixed cost structure for housing, which includes utilities. According to Lindner, "This way, the recipients can opt for a smaller home and decide on heating methods. I believe we can save billions of euros in this manner." At present, municipalities help cover a specific threshold for rent and heating expenses for Citizen's Basic Income beneficiaries and their families, with the government backing them up.
The Finance Minister proposes a unique legal status for Ukrainian refugees to lessen the burden of Citizen's Basic Income expenses and help more recipients join the workforce. "We should consider a distinct legal status for Ukrainian refugees," he mentioned.
Lindner envisions a merger of "asylum seeker benefits with the job market policies of the Citizen's Basic Income." This implies that refugees would no longer need to undergo an asylum process, but they wouldn't be entitled to the Citizen's Basic Income automatically, designed to secure a minimum socio-economic existence with social participation even without employment.
The Federal Ministry of Finance, headed by Christian Lindner, is involved in the discussion to revamp the Citizen's Basic Income scheme. The Minister is considering proposing a new legal status for Ukrainian refugees to alleviate the financial burden of the Citizen's Basic Income and encourage more refugees to join the workforce, within the scope of the Federal Ministry of Finance's responsibilities.
