Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Baden-Württemberg’s Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz has spoken out in favor of a hardship fund in view of the increased energy prices. “Instead of the planned energy flat rate for everyone, a hardship fund for people who simply can no longer pay their electricity or gas bills would make more sense,” said the Greens politician in Stuttgart to the “Südkurier” and the “Heilbronner Voice” (Friday).
For him it would also be conceivable firstly to adjust the standard rates of basic security and secondly to relieve low incomes in a targeted manner, the minister told the newspapers. Bayaz criticized the previous relief packages from the federal government. You have to let this work for now. But they weren’t accurate enough either. “Fuel discount, 9-euro ticket, energy flat rate, tax breaks – there was something for everyone, even for top earners. We shouldn’t repeat the mistake.”
For the planning of the state budget, the finance minister said that one was flying blind at the moment. The current situation is extremely risky, especially as far as the economic situation is concerned. “We know the risks – pandemic, supply chains, war, inflation, gas shortages – but we can’t translate all of this in financial terms at the moment.” He therefore sees himself primarily as a risk manager at the moment, in order to deal with the risks as responsibly as possible and to take precautions in the budget, said Bayaz. “But we can’t catch everything either. And that’s already giving us sleepless nights.”
