Participation society

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In a participation society , everyone should receive capital when they reach the age of majority , in order to provide the same opportunities as possible for a self-determined life as an economic partner ( stakeholder ).

Participation Society (Stakeholder Society)

The partnership proposal came from the Americans Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott . Under the name “Stakeholder Society” they propose that all citizens of legal age should be provided with start-up capital of US $ 80,000 (or at least its income if certain conditions are not met). As a rule, the capital should be invested with interest from the age of 18 and paid out to the beneficiaries in four annual installments from the age of 21 at the latest. Those who finance their studies or vocational training can dispose of it earlier. This social inheritance, which is uniform for all, is initially financed by a wealth tax during the transition , later, when the first generations of beneficiaries themselves have become testators , by a priority inheritance tax .

This text has sparked a lively discussion in the English-speaking world. At the beginning of 2005, for example, the British Labor Government actually introduced the 'baby bonds' promised during the election campaign (officially now called the 'Child Trust Funds'). This is a program to invest government-provided capital for each newborn, between £ 250 and £ 500 , depending on social situation , made available to beneficiaries with interest and compound interest at the age of 18. An increase in this is already the subject of the current political discussion.

The scientists Claus Offe , Gerd Grözinger and Michael Maschke have transferred this concept to Germany under the name “Teilhabegesellschaft” , supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation . All young people are to receive € 60,000 in start-up capital. From this start-up capital z. B. Training is financed, freelance activities are started or residential property is acquired; but it also serves as a primary safeguard against income poverty.

The idea of ​​the participation society was also taken up on May 9, 2017 by Federal Labor Minister Nahles under the title “personal employment account” at the re: publica congress. She suggested that everyone over the age of 18 get a tax-free starting credit. The money can be used in the course of working life for different, clearly defined purposes such as qualification, founding a company, a sabbatical or care leave. She suggested a sum of € 15,000 to € 20,000 per person, but admitted that the concept had not been coordinated with Federal Finance Minister Schäuble.

Finances

The idea of ​​the partnership is pay-as-you-go. In this way, part of the economic wealth is passed on collectively and cohort-related between the generations , instead of being exclusively individually and family-related. However, this long-term refinancing of the participation company suffers from the problem that there is a time gap of around 50 years between the first payments and the first repayments. That is why other sources of funding are necessary in the first few decades. The annual gross requirement of the participation company is the cumulative sum of all shares that are paid out to eligible 18-year-olds or handed over to them in trust . For 2005 that would mean a gross requirement of € 55.7 billion. Due to the demographic development, the gross demand would only be € 43.6 billion in 2020 .

Since the participation society would bring major changes to the German social system , part of this gross need can be offset against other welfare state benefits that would then no longer be necessary, such as B. Education funding, funding of educational participants by the Federal Employment Agency , parts of the university funding , social assistance , unemployment benefit II, housing benefit and child benefit as well as the promotion of wealth creation . In total, savings of € 22.6 billion in the medium term and € 29.3 billion in the long term result. If these sums are subtracted from the € 55.7 billion gross requirement, the result is a medium-term net requirement of € 33.1 billion and a long-term net requirement of € 26.4 billion.

The financial needs could be covered by a combination of a reform of the inheritance tax and the reintroduction of a 1.5 percent periodic wealth tax .

See also

literature

  • Gerd Grözinger, Michael Maschke and Claus Offe: Die Teilhabegesellschaft - Model of a new welfare state , Campus Verlag, Frankfurt 2006, ISBN 3-593-38196-6
  • Bruce Ackerman : Arguments for Stakeholding , Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin 2002

Web links