Chancellor Scholz wants to prevent the inflation spiral from turning any further and proposes a tax-free one-off payment from employers. The Greens insist on relief, especially for low earners.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to propose a tax-free one-off payment from employers to compensate for the increased energy costs.
In return, the unions should forgo part of the wage increases in collective bargaining rounds. The aim is to prevent the inflationary spiral from turning any further, as the “Bild am Sonntag” further reports. Corresponding plans were confirmed to the German Press Agency from government circles.
Scholz (SPD) wants to discuss on July 4th in a so-called concerted action together with top representatives of employees and employers how the price development can be got under control.
The Chancellery assumes that inflation is being driven primarily by the fact that there is a supply bottleneck, both for gas and for other products, which will increase again in the coming year, the newspaper reported. One argument in favor of the one-time payment is that it reaches the public quickly and that employees with low and medium wages benefit the most. However, since only 43 percent of employees are still paid according to the collective agreement, separate solutions are still needed for employees who are not bound by a collective agreement and pensioners with a low pension.
Greens: More relief for low earners
In view of the inflation, Green party leader Britta Haßelmann insists on further relief, especially for low earners. “We will also have to address the difficult situation caused by increased fossil energy prices politically beyond the relief measures that have already been decided,” she told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “For me, that means supporting people in particular who already have very little or no financial leeway. They need the relief, for example in basic security, most urgently. » It is about “structural measures” for them.
Haßelmann added: “And at the same time, as a state, we must be able to continue investing in infrastructure and measures against the climate crisis in order to get out of fossil inflation and not be worse off tomorrow than today.”
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil had previously spoken out in favor of relief for pensioners. SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich suggested special payments to employees to secure their livelihood. However, this proposal was already very skeptically commented on by FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner said: “Further relief measures would have to be part of the debt brake.”
