by Thorsten Koch
GermanPolicy.com
The co-chair of the SPD, Esken, is in favor of the fact that the hight of the soon-to-be-introduced citizens’ money, which is soon to replace Hartz IV, will be newly set within the coalition negotiations. The citizenship must be “adequate,” she said, according to media reports. At the same time, however, the wage gap rule should be observed: full-time employees will earn more than those receiving wage replacement benefits. Esken said that a basic child benefit would also lead to a bundling of child benefit, child allowance and the standard rates in Hartz IV. This form of basic security is to be paid out unbureaucratically in the future.
The Greens see the amount of citizens’ money above the Hartz IV standard rate. For example, poor pensioners or the unemployed should have access to a higher subsistence level, in view of the inflation and rising energy prices. The current Hartz IV rates are not poverty-proof, according to the Greens. For adults, the citizens’ allowance should not be less than 600 Euros, said Green Bundestag member Lehmann.
The chairman of the Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Göring-Eckardt, would like to provide better state support for low-wage earners, in the short term. Among other things, this is appropriate due to the higher energy costs. The poor in society should not be unduly burdened. Göring-Eckardt said that the increase of Hartz IV by 3 Euros from next January, decided by the Federal Government still in office, is unreasonable and equates to a reduction for those affected. The Greens parliamentary group leader added: “Anyone who has children no longer has to constantly run to offices and fill out complicated forms for extra requirements or supplements.”
For her part, Greens vice-chairman Lang has brought energy money into play, as a social compensation for poorer people, especially those who are dependent on state benefits. Otherwise, the future higher prices for CO2 “led to social upheavals that are difficult to recapture,” emphasized Lang. The surcharges to the affected groups of people would have to be paid back per capita.
