Söder: Postpone increase in citizens' income and revise entire benefit
The citizens' income must be "separated from flight and asylum", demanded the CSU leader. "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." With the new benefit, "the balance between encouraging and demanding" is not right.
Söder emphasized that even before the introduction of the citizen's allowance, the CDU/CSU-led states had pushed for changes in the Bundesrat. "We achieved improvements back then, for example on the issue of sanctions," said the Bavarian head of government. Nevertheless, 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," Söder told Stern magazine and warned: "The expensive citizen's income sets completely the wrong incentives."
The Bavarian Minister President also called for a stop to citizen's allowance payments to newly arrived Ukrainian refugees. "It would not be lawful to cancel anything retroactively. But we must change course for all new cases," said the CSU politician. "And for all others who come to us for the first time, social benefits should only be granted after five years instead of 18 months."
Söder said that his federal state would also reduce immigration incentives by giving asylum seekers payment cards rather than cash for clothing and food. Overall, it should be "soberly" examined "whether our constitution still fits reality in every aspect of the basic right to asylum".
Support for postponing the increase in citizens' income also came from the FDP, the coalition partner in the traffic light coalition. "It is absolutely clear that the welfare state in Germany costs too much money," FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai told Bild am Sonntag. "Every third euro spent by the federal government goes on social spending. That is no longer possible."
It is "no longer appropriate" for the government to increase the citizen's allowance by twelve percent in times of tight budgets and with the lowest inflation since 2021, criticized Djir-Sarai. Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) must therefore "stop the planned increase". "Anything else is also unacceptable to the working population," warned the FDP politician. In his view, the planned basic child benefit should also be put to the test.
Read also:
- Markus Söder, the CSU leader, suggested postponing the increase in citizens' income and revising the entire benefit system.
- Söder's Federal Council initiative aims to overhaul the citizen's allowance, focusing on balancing encouragement and demand.
- The CSU politician criticized the current citizen's income for setting incorrect incentives, stating that workers should receive more than those not working.
- Söder proposed stopping citizen's allowance payments to newly arrived Ukrainian refugees and changing social benefits for first-time seekers in Germany.
- The Bavarian Minister President suggested giving asylum seekers payment cards instead of cash for necessities, encouraging a more sober evaluation of the basic right to asylum.
- The FDP, a coalition partner in the Traffic light coalition, also supported postponing the increase in citizens' income, citing the excessive cost of social spending.
- Bijan Djir-Sarai, the FDP Secretary General, criticized the proposed 12% increase in the citizen's allowance during tight budgets and low inflation, urging Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil to halt the plan.
Source: www.stern.de
