Verena Bentele in “Early Start”
Social association warns against emergency sales of houses
04/19/2023 09:42 am
The ban on installing new oil and gas heating systems is coming. The social association VdK warns: Without sufficient help and credit, citizens would have to sell their houses. The association is also putting pressure on basic child security.
Today, Wednesday, the federal cabinet wants to decide on the ban on new oil and gas heating systems – and at the same time launch a support package for citizens to exchange their heating systems. The president of the social association VdK, Verena Bentele, calls on the coalition to allow poorer citizens higher aid than the previous 40 percent when installing a heat pump.
“In any case, there must be funding that goes beyond that,” said Bentele on ntv’s “early start”. She spoke out in favor of a funding system “without a watering can”. If you have five apartments or houses, you don’t need that much help. Those households that have little or no reserves should get it. “I expect a little more accuracy than just saying everyone gets some kind of funding.”
The cabinet wants to launch the plans to replace the heating system today and, according to reports, also launch an additional funding program. From 2024 onwards, if possible, every newly installed heating system should be operated with 65 percent renewable energies. Existing heaters should continue to operate, broken heaters can be repaired.
Basic child security “cannot be discussed over coffee”
Bentele called for special loans for older citizens when replacing the heating system, which would only have to be repaid if the home was resold or inherited. Only then would they still have scope for their daily lives. There are citizens over the age of 65 or 70 who would no longer get a loan to finance the conversion because of their age, said Bentele. At the same time, there was a lack of affordable, senior-friendly housing. “You can’t tell people as a last resort, leave your home.”
In the debate about basic child security, Bentele called for a speedy decision from the traffic light coalition at the next coalition committee. According to Bentele, Chancellor Olaf Scholz should no longer treat the project as one of many topics that is being discussed “over coffee”. Instead, he must put it at the top of the list of priorities for the next committee meeting.
You still have hope that basic child security can come as planned in 2025, said Bentele. “But of course the optimism dwindles if there is no agreement quickly.” If they don’t exist, the starting point of 2025 is unrealistic. “They have to come to an agreement and, above all, they really have to ensure that people can access the services that are already available without bureaucracy.”
When asked whether the maximum rate for basic child security should be higher than the maximum standard rate for citizen income, Bentele said: “It definitely needs a recalculation.” The maximum possible support is already not so bad thanks to child benefit, child allowance, education and participation benefits or tax exemptions, said the head of the association. The services must now be summarized in the basic child security. “Then it would be above the citizen’s income and that would be the right way for me.”