Hartz IV will in future be called Bürgergeld.
To this end, the standard rate for low-income people will be raised a little.
But how many euros?
A solution seems within reach.
Munich - whether in the energy sector or in the food sector: the price spiral turned noticeably upwards in 2021.
The development in Germany is putting pressure on the low-income in particular, who have to cope with more costs with little financial means.
As a consequence, the next federal government is planning a reform of the labor market, also in order to give Hartz IV recipients more money in the future.
Citizens' money to replace Hartz IV: Apparently agreement on the new standard rate
On the one hand, Hartz IV * will be abolished in the next legislative period and replaced by a so-called Bürgergeld *.
On the other hand, the coalition parties Greens, SPD and FDP are struggling to find a solution with a view to more social aid for the lower income group.
The negotiating partners are said to have agreed on an increase of 31 euros per month, as
reported by the
Businessinsider.de
portal
.
Hartz 4 recipients who are living alone currently receive a monthly standard rate * of 446 euros from the state.
In addition, there is the assumption of the cost of accommodation.
As of January 2022, salaries will increase marginally - by three euros to 449 euros.
Ulrich Schneider, head of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, described this increase as a “joke” and “sheer mockery”, which did not even come close to compensating for the increased cost of living in the Federal Republic.
If the citizen's benefit in the scenario described increases by 31 euros, the income for the unemployed would be 480 euros.
Citizens' money: traffic light coalition disagree on increasing the standard rate
The potential government alliance of the Greens, SPD and FDP is said to be in tough negotiations with regard to the coalition agreement, because this increased amount alone would tear a multi-digit billion hole in the state coffers for those receiving citizenship. This is particularly feared due to the fact that huge investment projects are also necessary in other areas such as climate protection. The great promise of labor market reform threatens to reach its limits the more the negotiators delve into the details.
The Greens and the SPD seem to be more on the same wavelength than the FDP.
The Green Youth in particular is promoting the issue of compensation for low-income people due to the additional burdens caused by inflation.
In the case of citizens' money, 600 to 650 euros are appropriate as the standard rate, said federal spokeswoman Sarah-Lee Heinrich * with reference to calculations by the parliamentary group.
+
The future traffic light coalition partners must also find a common path when it comes to citizens' money.
© Mike Schmidt / Imago Images
Employment broker and Hartz IV critic Inge Hannemann reacted after the apparently reached agreement became known with an angry message: “The poorest remain the last in the chain.
It is a shame and antisocial to the extreme, "said the author in a tweet.
Bürgergeld replaces Hartz IV: It also depends on the wage gap requirement
As the Forsa Institute determined on behalf of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband, the majority of Germans also consider the current Hartz IV rate to be too little: According to the survey, around 85 percent of those surveyed believe that 80 percent should be more money to ensure basic services.
That would mean an average of 811 euros instead of the current standard rate.
But social assistance is a long way from this, which is mainly due to the following point: Higher social assistance is related to the wage gap requirement.
Those who work full-time have to end up having more in their pockets than Hartz IV recipients who are at the subsistence level.
This means that nationwide wages would have to rise in order to be able to adjust the standard rates for the unemployed accordingly.
(pf)
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