Ramelow: Targeted relief for people with low incomes
Ramelow: Targeted relief for people with low incomes
Published on 06.05.2022
- Bodo Ramelow (Die Linke), Prime Minister of the Free State of Thuringia, at a party event . Photo: Daniel Vogl/dpa
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On the question of how people should be relieved in the face of high energy prices, party political opinions differ. Left-wing politician Bodo Ramelow warns against the watering can principle.
Berlin.
Thuringias Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) calls for targeted relief for people with low incomes in view of the high energy prices.
"We shouldnt be watering the whole of society again," he told the "Tagesspiegel". "Those who are now being hit the hardest by high energy prices, meaning those who have the highest net loss percentage, need a lot more help." The proposals by Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) on climate money went in the right direction, said Ramelow. "But the FDP will probably want to slow that down too."
Heil had spoken out in favor of annual social climate money for people with a monthly gross income below 4000 Euro is paid out. Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) then proposed a tax reform to relieve middle- and low-income citizens and described it as a counter-proposal to Salvations climate money.
Association of cities and municipalities: High prices harbor social explosives
The Association of Towns and Municipalities is meanwhile calling for citizens to be permanently relieved of rising energy prices. Concepts must already be developed on how to organize, implement and finance long-term relief, said managing director Gerd Landsberg to the newspapers of the Funke media group. "If you want to avoid social explosives, a focus must be provided in particular on families and people with low incomes."
Landsberg said social explosives could develop, especially with regard to the upcoming utility bills for tenants and develop tenants. The economy, whose tax revenues are needed and on whose jobs everyone depends, should not be neglected either. It should be recognized that the federal government helped with its relief packages, said Landsberg. However, pensioners, for example, were not sufficiently taken into account. In addition, the relief measures are sometimes limited to a few months and to the year 05. (dpa)
