Just like in Germany – no more money for asylum seekers: SVP puts everything on one card

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Germany has decided: a national payment card will be introduced for the payment of state benefits for asylum seekers. 14 of the 16 states agree on this.

The goal: in the future, refugees should be credited with part of the benefits to which they are entitled, according to uniform standards. And no longer paid out in cash as before. German social benefits can no longer be sent to relatives in the country of origin – or at least less.

SVP-Egger will submit a proposal

The topic is also well received in Switzerland. For example, the SVP St. Gallen has already demanded that asylum seekers in the canton only have their support money paid out via such a bank card in the future.

SVP Land Councilor Mike Egger (31) also thinks the payment card is a good thing. He points out that the planned national introduction in Germany could lead to asylum seekers moving to Switzerland, where they will eventually still have access to cash.

Egger therefore wants to submit an interpellation in the spring session. He wants to know from the Federal Council whether it also sees the introduction of such debit cards as a suitable means to prevent ‘abuse’ of state aid to asylum seekers?

“Authorities reject all suggestions”

He also wants to know whether the Federal Council is prepared to recommend that the cantons introduce debit cards instead of cash and link this to the payment of the corresponding federal funds. Because for Egger it is clear: “We are there to provide protection and not welfare.”

Egger’s party and National Council colleague Martina Bircher (39) addressed the issue in 2015 as a municipal councilor of Aarburg AG. She says: “At the time, 90 percent of our refugees lived on social assistance. And they sent about a third of the money back home – which is a misuse of Social Security money.

Legally, however, it was stated at the time that the introduction of, for example, a prepaid card would conflict with the principle of equal treatment. This means: Eritreans should not be treated differently from Swiss benefit recipients.

The Federal Council considers the abuse to be low

Bircher made a new attempt and asked the SEM how the State Secretariat assessed the situation and possibilities of such a payment card. Only: “So far, the authorities have rejected almost all suggestions. That was not possible, that was not allowed, they said,” she says.

It is all the more irritating when EU countries suddenly implement exactly the same measures. “Switzerland is simply too reserved here,” she says. Bircher sees this as an opportunity for the new Minister of Justice Beat Jans (59) to set the first priorities.

SP state councilor Céline Widmer (45), on the other hand, says: “This is not a new idea at all, there have been similar initiatives before – also at national level.” In fact, the Federal Council has already commented on this: at the time it considered the risk that such benefits for asylum seekers would be abused to be low.

‘Nonsense’ and ‘bureaucratic monster’

Widmer’s conclusion is clear: “Such payment cards only cause extra bureaucratic hassle and are therefore nonsense.”

A fear that FDP State Councilor Damian Müller (39) shares: “Germany will create a bureaucratic monster to introduce a system that will not solve much.”

“Economic refugees will always find a way to send money abroad, for example by reselling the products they have bought,” says Müller.

He therefore believes that Switzerland should not interfere with this model, but rather reduce its attractiveness for economic migrants. So that they don’t even decide to come to Switzerland.

Source:Blick