Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder has called for a reduction in the standard allowances of the Bürgergeld (Citizen’s Benefit). Speaking to “Bild am Sonntag”, the CSU chairman argued that the rates must be “reduced to the absolute constitutional minimum.”
Söder stated that incentives have now been created to encourage people to work more and to begin working sooner, but stressed that the general standard rates still need to be lowered. He noted that even when combining supplementary benefits, housing allowances, and standard rates, the total amount received by someone with children remains excessively high, a situation that is facing little understanding among the general public.
He further argued that it is unacceptable for the budget to still allocate €50 billion after reforms. Söder insists that the legal framework must be reorganized to ensure that Ukrainian citizens are no longer financed through or via the Bürgergeld program.
In addition, Söder demanded legislation to enforce the use of the payment card for asylum seekers across the entire country. To significantly reduce costs in migration procedures, he advocated for increased deportations and higher rates of voluntary departure, especially facilitated through the payment card system. Söder told “Bild am Sonntag” that there should be no more cash payments during recognition processes, only in-kind services. Since many individual federal states refused to cooperate, he concluded that a national law addressing the payment card was necessary. Furthermore, any NGOs attempting to circumvent these regulations should face criminal charges.
