There has been a long-standing dispute in Bavaria over the Corona emergency aid from spring 2020. This is now likely to continue in the new year: The medium-sized business association BVMW is calling for an extension of the deadline. So far, many entrepreneurs have had to prove by the end of 2023 that they legitimately received the aid money. From the BVMW’s point of view, it is incomprehensible why those affected have to complete the procedure now, according to a message sent on Monday. The association also refers to a lawsuit against the repayment obligation, which could possibly be heard before the Ansbach administrative court from the end of January 2024. “Now would also be a good time to suspend the entire procedure until there is legal certainty.”
The emergency aid was originally intended to cushion losses caused by the pandemic. It is quite common for this money to have to be paid back if it is not needed. However, many emergency aid recipients complain that this was not communicated or was communicated inadequately. The outcry was correspondingly great when the first notices asking for feedback landed in the mailboxes.
The deadline was originally supposed to end in July 2023, then an extension and exceptions to the repayment obligation followed. However, a request from the state parliament Greens revealed that answers from more than 120,000 people were still pending. “Many people won’t know what’s next for them during the holidays,” said MP Sanne Kurz last week. This means that “the hanging game for everyone affected” has now lasted a total of almost a year and a half.