Up to 1500 euros inflation premium: traffic lights are planning new help - pensioners should also get money this time

Created: 09/18/2022, 04:49 am

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

The traffic light coalition is in the process of putting together a new relief package.

According to a report, it includes an inflation premium and an extended housing benefit, among other things.

Meseberg – The federal government wants to react to the significant increase in energy prices with another relief package.

The work on this would be completed "soon", said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting at Meseberg Castle.

The aim is "a very precise, very tailor-made relief package".

It must be about "that prices don't shoot through the roof" and that citizens and companies "can get through this difficult time well".

New relief package: inflation premium, housing benefit, child allowance

At the same time, the Chancellor emphasized that he was pleased that no details from the coalition deliberations on the relief package had leaked out.

"The fact that you didn't notice so much of it makes me personally and professionally proud," he told journalists on Wednesday.

However, the news channel ntv reports, citing government circles, that the traffic light is planning an inflation premium in the form of a tax-free one-off payment to low and middle earners.

This should be between 800 and 1500 euros.

In addition, according to ntv, there should be another one-off payment to Hartz IV recipients as well as to pensioners and students.

As already announced by the SPD, the housing allowance is to be expanded to include a heating component.

In addition, the traffic light is planning another child allowance and wants to extend the short-time work allowance again.

Lindner: "Relief across the board"

At the press conference, the coalition gave a harmonious picture after the dispute of the past few days.

"We need a massive package for relief across society," said Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) at the joint press conference.

He still saw a possible scope for this year "in a single-digit billion euro range".

In the coming year, Lindner "with the participation of the federal states" assumed a "double-digit billion amount" for relief.

The previous two relief packages had a total volume of around 30 billion euros.