Criticism of the planned concept for citizen money continues to come from the Union – even after changes by the traffic light groups. “Our criticism remains: Citizens’ money is a departure from the principle of funding and demanding,” said the head of the SME and Economic Union, the CDU member of the Bundestag Gitta Connemann, the German Press Agency in Berlin. The promised adjustments did not change the substance of the citizens’ income.
The new traffic light draft provides for stricter rules for recipients of citizen income, for example if they want to move to a more expensive apartment. “These are not serious changes – these are cosmetic,” said Connemann. “There are still no serious incentives to go back to work. Money should still be paid, even if there is no willingness to perform.”
The traffic light factions had agreed on changes to the citizens’ income planned from January. Among other things, there should be some tightening of the planned two-year waiting period for beneficiaries. It is planned, for example, that the heating costs during this time should only be covered to an appropriate extent. The government’s original draft bill did not provide for a limit on reimbursement at this point. Among other things, the Union had sharply criticized this, which had also threatened to block the project in the Federal Council because of other criticisms.
