FDP is planning tougher sanctions for those who refuse to pay citizens' money

FDP is planning tougher sanctions for those who refuse to pay citizens' money

The FDP has initiated discussions about the social policy of the traffic light coalition with a draft resolution from its party executive committee. The focus of the draft is tougher sanctions for those who refuse to pay citizens' benefits and the abolition of the “pension at 63”. The General Secretary of the SPD was critical of these plans and described them as “insulting employees”. The FDP proposes to reduce benefits for citizens' benefit recipients by 30 percent if they refuse reasonable work without a good reason. The party is also calling for sanctions to be extended to the point of completely canceling benefits.

Furthermore, the Liberals are against the “pension at 63” because it is considered unsustainable due to the shortage of skilled workers. Instead, the FDP advocates measures to keep older workers in their working lives longer, for example by eliminating the employer contribution to unemployment insurance after reaching the standard working limit. In addition, tax relief for overtime is required.

The impact of these proposals on citizens' benefit recipients is statistically small, as only a small percentage would be affected by benefit cuts. With regard to the abolition of the “pension at 63”, data from the German Pension Insurance indicate that around 30 percent of new pensioners have made use of early retirement in recent years. If this regulation were to be abolished, various scenarios could arise, including some pensioners working longer or a possible increase in old-age poverty due to lower pension payments.

Overall, the FDP plans for pensions and citizens' benefits show possible effects on pensioners and recipients of citizens' benefits, although the debate about social policy in Germany remains the focus of public discussion.