Everything is becoming more expensive – the government will therefore fix further one-off payments and increase social benefits, says Social Affairs Minister Johannes Rauch.
The federal government’s latest plan in view of the immensely increased energy and fuel prices, as revealed by “Heute”, is a new relief package. Negotiations on this are still ongoing between the ÖVP and the Greens, but the package is intended to postpone CO2 pricing to October 2022, a flat-rate 250-euro climate bonus for all Austrians and the complete end of gas heating by 2040. But is that enough in the face of inflation?
Secret Package – now ALL get higher money bonus
Social Minister Johannes Rauch commented on this late Tuesday evening in the ORF “ZiB 2” with moderator Armin Wolf. The federal government has already relieved the Austrians of around four billion euros, but even that is not enough, according to Rauch. That is why a further relief package is now being negotiated. “I understand that at the end of the month there won’t be enough money,” said the minister, who wanted to help above all “those who are at the bottom end of the income scale.” It is not just about pensioners, but also the unemployed and children.
New bonuses? “Yes, that will be necessary”
According to Rauch, it is now the task of the federal government to obtain relief by the autumn. But it needs a parliamentary lead, preparations and negotiations, that doesn’t happen overnight. What is fixed for Rauch: The social benefits have to be adjusted, i.e. increased, specifically social assistance, unemployment benefits or family allowances. “Yes, that will be necessary,” said the minister, and that is also being negotiated with the social partners, “we will agree on that very quickly”. One talks not only about structural measures, but also one-off payments, according to Rauch.
The fact that ÖVP general secretary Laura Sachslehner strictly rejected an automatic adjustment of social benefits to inflation didn’t really bother Rauch: He had “never seen Mrs. Sachslehner at the negotiating table,” but that’s where it is being negotiated. The reason: Rauch considers it “degrading” to have to queue for special services at the end of the month because the money is simply not enough. He also wants to take a closer look at the prices in certain sectors such as construction, which, contrary to all reasons, would continue to rise.
There is a “catalog of measures” to relieve people, according to Rauch, but the “watering can” is not a good tool, the help must be targeted. What Rauch confirmed: CO2 pricing should be postponed to October and activated at the same time as the climate bonus for everyone increased to 250 euros. Incidentally, Rauch rejected a staggering of the climate bonus according to income, which required “administrative effort that is not justified”. According to Rauch, ecologization is still being pushed ahead.
In any case, the motto of the federal government is now “get out of the inflation trap”. Rauch sees his task as Minister for Social Affairs in giving those people a voice who don’t have one – he also likes to negotiate hard and combatively in the coalition. Rauch has not yet completely written off the property taxation rejected by the ÖVP, and negotiations on this are not yet over. At the end, a brief turn to Corona: It will have to be discussed whether you still have to be in quarantine if you have a corona infection, said Rauch. But if a more contagious and dangerous variant appears in Austria in autumn, stricter measures would have to be reintroduced anyway.
