The VdK Social Union backs the SPD’s recent call to include rental and capital‑income systematically in the financing of Germany’s statutory health and nursing insurance. The organization, however, stresses that generous allowances must still be offered to protect small savers.
VdK President Verena Bentele told the Funke Media Group on Tuesday: “We are pleased that a long‑standing core demand of the VdK is finally being taken up in the debate on a fair financing of the welfare state. It should no longer be the case that people who earn substantial profits from stock trading or renting do not contribute to the funding of the social insurance systems”. She added: “It is overdue that these high profits make a fair contribution. Small savers can be unequivocally protected through carefully designed, generous allowances”.
Similarly, Michaela Engelmeier, Chairwoman of the Social Association Germany (SoVD), said to the same outlets: “We support this initiative. From SoVD’s perspective it is correct to include income from rents, leases, and capital alongside earned income”. Engelmeier also urged that the statutory health insurance contribution ceiling be raised, aligning it with the much higher ceiling of the statutory pension insurance. This would strengthen the insurance’s financial capacity, broaden its funding base, and distribute the contribution burden more fairly among low, middle and high earners.