2023-09-29 15:56:57
The Green Family Minister Lisa Paus also promotes her basic child security with the argument that the current law is not being used enough. However, the citizen does not have an “obligation to collect”, but rather the state has an “obligation to deliver”. The reform must therefore ensure that in the future every family that receives transfers to which they are entitled. It sounds similar from the mouth of the SPD’s education policy spokesman about the energy cost subsidy of 200 euros, which one in five students did not claim shortly before the end of the application period. Oliver Kaczmarek calls for automatic procedures “in order to really help all those affected to achieve their legal rights”.
Behind the catchphrase of “debt to deliver” is the ideal of a welfare state that delivers goods to its citizens free of charge – at the push of a button, via a dedicated line, after at most minimal verification of the basis for entitlement and without possibly shameful visits to offices. This ideal has so far met with little opposition; the idea of effortlessly granted transfer payments is obviously appealing.
This only encourages the dangerous habituation effect
But it’s worth thinking about. Ultimately, the state also has a duty to handle taxes carefully. He fulfills this task if he does not invest the money in unnecessary administrative processes – but also if he does not set the hurdles for receiving solidarity benefits too low. Tax-financed social assistance no longer only serves to secure the livelihood of those who really depend on it. Students who don’t use the energy money probably don’t need it. If you’re too comfortable with finding out more information and putting in a little effort to apply, you don’t need to.
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 69 Alexander Armbruster and Sven Astheimer Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 62 A comment from Katja Gelinsky Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 38 Katja Gelinsky, Berlin Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 43 A comment from Heike Göbel Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 211
This also applies to other transfers, from citizen or housing benefit to child allowances. The state’s duty of care does not go so far as to provide everyone with what they may be entitled to right up to the middle of society, perhaps even against their will.
This further encourages the dangerous habituation effect that comes from government aid anyway. The “debt” of the welfare state can only be an ideal for those who are indifferent to taxpayers.
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