Household - Wüst: Traffic light has too little cement for difficult times
In view of the stalemate in the budget discussions between the coalition parties, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) is calling for clarity. Neither the citizens nor the economy know where they stand now, Wüst told the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf on Wednesday. This applies both to energy price subsidies and the question of what support the economy will receive on the path to climate neutrality. "This uncertainty, especially for energy-intensive industry and SMEs, must end as quickly as possible," demanded Wüst.
"The traffic light coalition is clearly struggling with the big issues," said the CDU state leader in response to the question of whether the government alliance between the SPD, Greens and FDP in the federal government is now at risk. This is evident in financial and budgetary policy as well as in the areas of innovation, the economy, climate neutrality and the complex of flight and migration. "A government that fails to provide answers to these major questions will only be able to hold on to power," said Wüst. "That may be enough to avoid falling apart. But it is not enough to lead a country through these difficult times."
In fact, the federal government currently stands for a policy of constant uncertainty in almost all central policy areas. "From the outset, the traffic light coalition has relied on unconstitutional funding for its joint government work and has now received the receipt for this," said Wüst.
In the debate as to whether the increase in the citizen's allowance planned for the beginning of 2024 should be withdrawn, the overall package of citizen's allowance, housing benefit, child benefit and child supplement must be considered. "You also have to recognize that some people in the lower wage brackets no longer have much incentive to go to work." Combating poverty and the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court on the minimum subsistence level are guard rails. "So it's not at all about denying people their entitlement to benefits. It's about respecting the wage gap and creating incentives to work."
When it comes to combating child poverty in particular, there must be other ways than setting up an authority that devours half a billion every year, said Wüst, commenting on the federal government's plans in this regard. Instead, it would be worth using instruments such as the supplement to child benefit, which already reaches one million low-income families in Germany, in a targeted manner and adapting them where necessary. "The child supplement is now working," said Wüst about the initially little-known aid.
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Source: www.stern.de
