As of: March 6, 2024, 7:20 a.m
By: Günter Hiel
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If money is tight, tenants can apply for housing benefit.
© Skolimowska/DPA
The municipality of Haar is canceling the rental subsidy for low-income people.
Now the state has to pay.
The decision triggered a fundamental debate about voluntary benefits in the local council.
Haar – The municipality of Haar is abolishing its “social rental concept”, the subsidy for low-income citizens who live in community-owned, freely financed apartments.
This has existed in Haar since 1994, up to 30 percent of the rental costs.
What sounds harsh is actually cushioned with tax money.
Those affected now receive state housing benefit.
The municipal administration not only informed those affected in good time that there would soon no longer be any subsidies from the municipality, but also submitted their applications for housing benefit through the district office - and the notices were already there, the head of the real estate department informed the municipal council.
In this way, the municipality of Haar, which is short of cash due to a structural revenue problem - too few business tax payers - saves this money, and the state steps in.
When asked by the Münchner Merkur, the administration provided details that were necessary for the assessment.
Last year, 14 tenants received subsidies, a total of 15,355 euros.
Just suspend, not cancel
In view of the critical budget situation, the local council had no longer allocated any money for this item in the 2024 budget.
Green parliamentary group leader Mike Seckinger, supported by his SPD counterpart Thomas Fäth, nevertheless submitted the motion not to “repeal” the resolution on the “social rental concept” of July 26, 1994, as the meeting document said, but only to “suspend” it “.
Then it could be put back into effect so that the community is better off again.
The application was rejected by a vote of 13:17, and a few SPD council members also voted against it.
Underlying these debates is the accusation from the SPD and the Greens that the CSU and Mayor Andreas Bukowski are cutting back on voluntary benefits too much.
Bukowski (CSU) then counters that the SPD should have made savings in a timely manner and should currently be more business-friendly.
Further news from Haar and the Munich district can be found here.