Services for Families - Social association in child benefits is 'pessimistic'
The Child Security Allowance is, according to the President of the Social Association VdK, Verena Bentele, in its originally planned form, hardly has a chance of implementation. "As a civil society, as a coalition, we will continue to promote and pursue the project. I am rather pessimistic that it will be politically addressed again in the near future," she told "taz".
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) recently rejected the introduction of the Child Security Allowance according to the original plans of the Greens. At the same time, he announced that he intends to increase Kindergeld and the Child Supplement for needy families by five euros each on January 1, 2025. The Child Allowance is also to be raised - and thus the tax burden for families is to decrease. The Green fraction vice-chairman Andreas Audretsch called the plans an "important financial basis for the start of the Child Security Allowance".
SPD fraction leader Rolf Mützenich emphasized that there would still be an "entry into the Child Security Allowance" during this legislative period. "Those who rely on a security allowance for their children should be able to find the path to support more easily in the partly confusing administrative system," he told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group.
Bentele: Application process should be centralized
After being asked what could still be implemented effectively after the summer, Bentele named the centralization of the application process. Families should no longer have to file applications for their children at many different, but only at one place. "Furthermore, it should be discussed whether the tax exemptions for children should be reduced. That would not improve the support for the affluent, but rather the other way around," said the VdK President. Unfortunately, she cannot currently imagine that such significant changes are still possible.
The Ampel Coalition was criticized by Bentele for having a lack of consensus on the Child Security. SPD and FDP had "made it quite comfortable for themselves to point out what's wrong" instead.
The Child Security Allowance is in the Coalition Agreement and is considered the social prestige project of the Greens. With the Social Reform, originally intended benefits such as Child Benefit, benefits from Citizen's Income for Children, or the Child Supplement were to be bundled.
- Verena Bentele, the President of the VdK, expressed her concerns about the implementation of the Child Security Allowance in its original form, claiming that it has a slim chance of political attention in the near future.
- Christian Lindner, the Finance Minister of Germany and representative of the FDP, rejected the initial plans for the Child Security Allowance proposed by the Greens but announced a five-euro increase for Kindergeld and Child Supplement for needy families in 2025.
- SPD fraction leader Rolf Mützenich expressed his commitment to providing an entry point for families dependent on the Child Security Allowance within the current legislative period.
- Bentele suggested centralizing the application process for children's benefits, allowing families to submit applications at a single location instead of multiple, while also discussing the possibility of reducing children's tax exemptions for more targeted support.
- The Coalition Agreement includes the Child Security Allowance as a significant social project for the Greens, with the intention of bundling benefits such as Kindergeld, Citizen's Income for Children, and Child Supplement within the Social Reform.
- Despite the shared commitment to the Child Security Allowance in the Coalition Agreement, Bentele criticized the perceived lack of agreement and cooperation between the SPD and FDP, accusing them of being more concerned with pointing out the project's flaws rather than collaborating on its implementation.
- VDK and TAZ Publishing and Distribution joined forces to bring attention to children's security and welfare issues, with Verena Bentele and other prominent figures, such as Christian Lindner, Andreas Audretsch, and Social Democrat leader Rolf Mützenich, participating in the discussions.
- The future of the Child Security Allowance and its implementation remain uncertain, as the project continues to face political hurdles and a need for increased alignment between the various coalition parties involved in its realization.
