Third relief package: opposition puts pressure on traffic lights
Created: 08/23/2022, 05:24
By: Victoria Krumbeck
A third relief package is intended to support low-income households.
The opposition criticizes the lack of support from students and pensioners.
Munich - Energy and food costs continue to rise.
The federal government wanted to help citizens with the relief packages that had been approved.
Meanwhile, the government is planning a third package.
The opposition criticizes the fact that students and pensioners have sometimes benefited from no assistance.
Many of the previous reliefs related primarily to employees.
The demands for further measures are getting louder and louder.
Third relief package: Opposition calls for more support for pensioners and students
Employees have already benefited from the relief packages.
There was a one-time energy allowance of 300 euros, which will be paid out in September.
As well as an increased distance allowance or the increased employee allowance.
In addition, adults who receive benefits from the social security systems received a one-time payment of 200 euros.
Recipients of unemployment benefit a one-time payment of 100 euros.
Many pensioners and students went away empty-handed.
“We are sliding into a full-blown social crisis this winter with our eyes wide open.
There will be people who can no longer afford a warm apartment.
The Federal Government has so far acted much too hesitantly - the previous relief packages were not sufficient and socially unbalanced," said the deputy leader of the Left Party, Susanne Ferschl, at the request of
Merkur.de
from IPPEN MEDIA.
She calls for a “gas price cap with a subsidized basic quota”.
Deputy parliamentary group leader of the left, Susanne Ferschl.
© Frederic Kern/IMAGO
This could protect low-income households from price increases.
For students and pensioners, she proposes an additional energy allowance, which could also be paid out as a fixed amount for lower and middle incomes.
Die Linke also supports the excess profit tax.
The concept is already on the table and could be implemented at any time, said Ferschl.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck had already spoken out in favor of an excess profit tax.
First government concessions for fairer relief package
"If the Federal Minister of Finance wants to exclude all pensioners from relief again, that is socially unfair and exacerbates the division in society," said the socio-political spokesman for the Union faction in the Bundestag, Stephan Stracke (CSU), the
Rheinische Post.
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The CSU MP Peter Aumer emphasized to
Merkur.de
: “Hardly anything of the many promises of relief by the federal government has reached the people so far.” The heating cost subsidy and the energy price flat rate have not yet received “a cent” from the citizens.
In addition, pensioners were not taken into account.
"Relief for pensioners would be possible, for example, if the Junge Union's proposal of an energy allowance of 500 euros for students and trainees with their own households was also accepted for senior citizens," says Aumer.
Normal earners would “urgently” need support, emphasized the CSU politician.
They would bear the "lion's share" of taxes and duties.
It is also "disgraceful how the Greens and the SPD in particular keep fueling envious discussions on questions of relief".
The federal government is planning to decide on a third relief package for the citizens (symbol image).
© Jochen Eckel/IMAGO
Initial concessions by the Greens increase the pressure within the traffic light coalition.
People with small and middle incomes should also be supported.
"This also means that students and pensioners with small pensions are the focus of the relief package," said Green Party leader Katharina Dröge of the
Rheinische Post
.
"It would also be fair to pay out another energy price lump sum, which relieves people with lower and middle incomes or low pensions in particular," explained Dröge.
Third relief package - lack of support for students and pensioners
Students and pensioners have not yet been able to benefit from the relief.
Most students received a refund for the semester ticket for the months June to August, when the 9-euro ticket was valid.
For BAföG recipients there was also a heating allowance of 230 euros instead of 115 euros.
However, not all students receive the training allowance.
In the winter semester 2021/2022 there were around 2.95 million students, around 468,000 received BAföG.
That's just a sixth.
The federal government is discussing a possible third relief package.
Last Thursday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced that he would reduce gas sales tax from 19 to 7 percent.
The gas surcharge means that citizens will have to pay more for gas, and the reduction in VAT is intended to relieve them.
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