CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann sees the planned replacement of the Bürgergeld in March by the new basic security fund as only the first step toward further reforms. “That’s not enough. More laws need to follow” he told ”Bild am Sonntag”.
In particular, Linnemann wants the rules for earned income to be radically restructured to stop people from exploiting the system. “There are people who work five to ten hours and top up their Bürgergeld, creating a system where social benefits are taken in a legal loophole. That must end”. His concrete alternative is that “anyone who works only a few hours will have their entire income fully credited to the Bürgergeld. Only those who work more should be allowed to keep more. Today you can keep the first 100 euro, after that 80 percent is credited-this incentivises minimal effort. We need to reverse that”.
At the same time, Linnemann rejected the SPD’s demand for new social taxes on rental and capital income. “This proposal shows we think differently” he said. “The claim is wrong because two‑thirds of people arrange their own retirement privately; they already pay a solidarity surcharge and capital gains tax, which funds their pension plans. Adding another levy on investment income destroys planning certainty and erodes trust, not confidence”. Instead of new taxes, the policy should aim to bring social contributions back toward the 40 percent mark to keep the system stable.