Household
The Left criticizes the draft budget as anti-social
Left party leader Janine Wissler is not a fan of the federal budget for the current year (archive photo). photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
The Budget Committee has approved the draft budget for 2024. There is a lot of criticism from Left party leader Janine Wissler: the draft is anti-social and unfair. There is also criticism from the Union.
The Left has sharply criticized the federal budget for the current year. “It is an anti-social and unfair budget cuts without foresight,” said the Left party leader Janine Wissler of the dpa in Berlin. Among other things, Wissler named sanctions for those receiving basic income, criticized the lack of climate money to compensate for the higher CO2 price and complained about cuts in humanitarian aid and climate protection.
The budget committee decided on the draft budget for 2024 in the so-called adjustment meeting. The budget provides for expenditure of around 476.8 billion euros and new loans of around 39 billion. The debt brake is intended to be adhered to again after years of exceptions. The Bundestag and Bundesrat are due to make a final decision on the 2024 budget at the beginning of February.
“The traffic light coalition further contributes to exacerbating social tensions by directing the discourse towards citizens’ benefit recipients and refugees in order to distract from their own failed policies,” criticized Wissler. She complained that the super-rich are not burdened more heavily and the refusal to suspend the debt brake. “Overall, this is a clear attack on all people with small and average wallets, while corporations continue to profit with obscene profits,” said the Left party leader.
Union: Repair of repair only
Criticism also comes from the Union faction: It considers the adopted budget for 2024 to be a patchwork with wrong priorities. A “completely new budget” is needed, said budget policy spokesman Christian Haase at the federal press conference. “What we’re seeing here is a repair of the repair of the repair.” A new budget must set priorities in internal and external security as well as in stimulating the economy. However, Haase confirmed to the traffic light coalition that the draft currently complies with the debt rule of the Basic Law.
The budget politician criticized the fact that the traffic lights were still financing their “favorite projects”. “The traffic light is still not prepared to even think about its own projects. It saves little or no money, two or three billion in total, the rest is additional costs.” Haase doubted that the planned savings in citizens’ money could be achieved through stricter sanctions for total objectors. “That is a hope value.”
The CDU politician assumed that the traffic light coalition would have significant problems with the budget for the coming year. He expected a need for budgetary action of 36 billion euros.