In Saxony-Anhalt, the FDP suddenly sided with the Hartz IV recipients.
But a look at the party's specific plans can be quite confusing.
Magdeburg - In Saxony-Anhalt, the parties are fighting for the last undecided voters before the state elections.
Some surprising statements can be heard from top politicians - perhaps precisely because the East is considered a difficult place: the AfD's survey altitudes can be seen as a lesson.
At the same time, many people in the five “new” countries may still feel left behind.
Against this background, the FDP is also resorting to unfamiliar means: During the final campaign appearance on Thursday in Magdeburg, party leader Christian Lindner courted the Hartz IV recipients in the country - and focused on them as payer of the “true top tax rate”.
Although the Liberals are actually perceived more as parliamentary representatives of the addressees of the regular top tax rate.
Hartz IV debate in the Saxony-Anhalt election campaign: Lindner railed against "top tax rate"
"The true top tax rate in Germany is 80 percent," said Lindner at the appointment. "That is the sentence that people pay for Hartz IV-reference if they do not want to rely on the welfare state, but if they want to work alongside the social help of our solidarity community." The liberal spoke with reference to the example of a single parent Mother with an additional 450 euro job from the “perversion of performance justice”. The FDP is also committed to people with low and middle incomes, explained Lindner.
At the same time, Lindner heavily criticized the Greens' plans for an unconditional basic income.
The FDP boss ranted that it was a “plentiful academic debate from Berlin-Mitte” - and at the same time he was in favor of some of the foundations of the Hartz IV system.
“If one rejects offered work, offered educational opportunities” and still receives money, then the working population hardly feels that this is fair.
Lindner wrote education as a "great social promise" on the flags.
The parental home "or the postcode" should not play a role in life chances.
Saxony-Anhalt elects new state parliament: FDP wants to return to parliament
However, under a tweet from the FDP Saxony-Anhalt with the first quote from Lindner, there was also fierce criticism of the party leader's Hartz IV position. “The deductions at Hartz 4 in the event of excessive additional earnings are not tax. On the contrary, the H4'ler receives money from tax revenues ”, it was said about. Other commentators recalled that the FDP itself, as a member of the black and yellow government, had not changed the relevant regulations from 2009 to 2013.
In Saxony-Anhalt, the FDP and top candidate Lydia Hüskens are hoping to return to the state parliament after ten years of absence - judging by the surveys, the chances are good.
One of the party's main goals is to end the Kenya coalition of the CDU, SPD and the Greens.
Whether that will work again seems questionable.
Presumably the liberals will not fare well enough to govern as part of a Jamaica coalition, for example.
FDP in the election campaign: Hartz IV should fall - but additional income rules only dwindle with higher sums
According to their election program for the federal election, the FDP wants to put more money into education - and replace Hartz IV with a “liberal citizen's money”. Specifically, the party would like to combine several benefits such as unemployment benefit II (ALG II) and housing benefit, increase savings and expand additional income opportunities.
However, the "top tax rate" mentioned by Lindner is apparently not supposed to change: "With additional monthly earnings between 100 and 400 euros, the credit is 80 percent," says the Liberals' homepage about the plans. Only above this threshold should the credit for ALG II fall - from 400 euros additional earnings to 70 percent, from 700 euros to a minimum of 60 percent. The party's argument: "Every additional hour of work should be more worthwhile." A single mother in Hartz IV with 450 euros in additional earnings would only benefit marginally - with around 5 euros per month. (
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