Vienna reforms minimum income: more benefits in kind for families!

Vienna reforms minimum income: more benefits in kind for families!

The red-pink city government in Vienna is planning a fundamental reform of the minimum income, which was presented a few days ago as part of a new government program with the slogan “Progress is followed by recovery”. Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) and Deputy Mayor Bettina Emmerling (NEOS) emphasize that the changes should primarily benefit families and small households. The measures are part of an extensive 191-page package of measures that pursues the goals of an “affordable, livable and climate-friendly” Vienna. But details are often still unclear.

The focus of the reform is primarily on more benefits in kind, which are intended to benefit in particular the multi-child allowances and communities of need. According to oe24 the equal treatment of all children and greater consideration of family allowances are emphasized. The aim is to specifically get children out of social welfare and to offer them better support through benefits in kind instead of cash benefits.

Uniform solutions required

The city government is pushing for a nationwide uniform regulation for the employment service (AMS), but is also planning its own measures if these are not implemented promptly. Around 140,000 people in Vienna currently receive minimum income, including many children and families who urgently need support. A central concern of the reform is to increase the accuracy of social benefits and promote faster integration into the labor market, as the Ministry of Social Affairs emphasizes.

However, the planned savings, which focus on the review of funding and administrative costs, could also have an impact on many of the city's projects. Mayor Ludwig made it clear that all projects, including the popular 365 euro annual ticket, could be put to the test in order to stabilize Vienna's budget without endangering the economy. In an interview on “Wien today” on ORF, Ludwig and Emmerling made vague comments about the specific savings plans, which are nevertheless considered urgent.

Planned changes in the city senate

Another point that is being discussed publicly is increasing the number of members in the city senate to 13 in order to secure a red-pink majority. This step is questioned by some critics, but Ludwig defends the measure by referring to previous government figures. Emmerling emphasizes that 97 percent of the points formulated in the last program have already been successfully implemented and sees no cause for concern in the new, vague formulations.

In summary, we are faced with a reform that sounds promising, but still leaves many questions unanswered. Detailed information on the future changes remains to be seen, as does the reaction from the opposition and the affected population. In any case, it seems clear: In Vienna, a lot is being done to fundamentally change the social landscape.

For further information and updates on this topic, we recommend taking a look at the reporting from ORF Wien and VOL.AT.