According to a government report, the federal government alone bore costs of around 28 billion euros in the area of flight and migration last year. More than 12 billion of this was invested in combating the causes of flight abroad, around 15 billion should directly relieve states and municipalities. This emerges from the refugee costs report of the federal government, which is available to the German Press Agency.
According to this, around 4.6 billion euros flowed to the federal states via the sales tax distribution – and thus not earmarked in their regular budgets. The countries can decide for themselves what they use the money for.
According to their own statements, most, but not all, passed it on to the municipalities in full, partly as a lump sum and partly on a case-by-case basis. Several states also pointed out in the report that federal funds were not sufficient to cover the costs.
Integration services were also financed from the federal budget with around 2.3 billion euros. The federal government contributed around 8 billion in social benefits for refugees.
At a refugee summit on Wednesday, the federal and state governments want to discuss how to proceed with the admission of refugees in Germany. The financing is particularly controversial, municipalities and federal states are demanding more money from the federal government for accommodation and care.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner, on the other hand, emphasized that, in his view, it should not be about money first. “We had no control over immigration for years. It must now be produced, ”wrote the FDP leader on Twitter. A better distinction must be made between qualified, humanitarian immigration and irregular migration.
SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich also described it as inappropriate to focus solely on financing. In addition, the financial situation of the federal and state governments must be taken into account. Baden-Württemberg alone had a surplus of six billion euros in the past financial year. (dpa)
