Living wage

The minimum subsistence (also: Notbedarf ) refers to the means that are necessary for the satisfaction of material needs to be able to physically survive; these are primarily food, clothing, housing and medical emergency care.

As the definition of poverty is the definition of the subsistence always culturally specific and relative.

The socio- cultural subsistence guarantees about the physical subsistence level, a right to participate in social, cultural and political life.

Situation in the German-speaking countries

Germany

At its core element, the term subsistence first concerns the physiological existence of the citizen: " This core element is the subject of the original constitutional entitlement to benefits under Article 1, Section 1 of the Basic Law. " A new approach to this problem is a current becoming unconditional basic income.

Socio-cultural subsistence

From the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany Article 1, paragraph 1 (" Human dignity is inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority." ) In connection with the welfare state postulate of Article 20 derives in Germany not only the welfare state from practice to ensure the welfare level as the minimum basic services every need. Then there is rather an individually enforceable legal claim ( BVerwGE 1, 159).

The social courts have coined the term socio -cultural subsistence. It includes the requirements that are necessary in order to participate with economical economies in social life. The height of the rule sets and the control needs of the unemployment benefit II, the basic security in old age and disability and help to livelihood are determined based on statistical analyzes. Decisive are the expenditures of the poorest fifth of the ordered according to their net income single person households, adjusted for the welfare recipients. The prices of a politically set basket of goods will not be considered, but determined through interviews with actual expenditure. At the statistically determined values ​​are partially made ​​significant reductions in order to create a clear gap between workers and recipients of basic security power ( the so-called wage gap bid ). Critics complain that the (real required ) socio- cultural subsistence would considerably undercut due to objectively unjustified discounts.

Legal guilt subsistence

The pledge -free subsistence in accordance with § 850c ZPO is since 1 July 2013 for a single person are € 1,045.04 net per month.

That attachment table already July 1, determine: After the federal legislature will increase the basic allowance in the amount of 8,130 EUR ( reference point for the attachment table 2013) with effect from 1 January 2014 continue to 8354 EUR, is now ( July 2013 version) 2015 will be re-adjusted. The allowances will rise by another 2.72 per cent, which is from 1 July 2015 lead to a seizure threshold of 1,073.85 EUR.

In the European Social Charter, the appropriate is prized (minimum) fee with 68 % of the national average hourly wage, which, according to calculations by the Federal Statistical Office from 2013 at € 15.89 gross is located in Germany and thus per at a reasonable fee of 10.80 € gross hours leads.

Tax Legal subsistence

The subsistence income tax may not be less than the social assistance law defined so-called " material minimum " which indemnify for all taxpayers in the full amount of the income tax law of the Federal Constitutional Court ( basic allowance ).

For the year 2008, for example, the federal government projected in its " Sixth subsistence report " a social welfare legal minimum requirement of a single person of 7,140 euros ( see table ), for married couples 12,276 euros, 3,648 euros for a child. The subsistence income tax, however, amounted to 7,664 euros for a single person and € 15,328 for married couples on. The child tax credit was 3648 euros - plus the allowance for the care and educational needs of 2,160 euros, the tax -free allowances amounted to 5,808 euros per child so.

The tax exemption of the subsistence of the taxpayer and his dependent family is a constitutional requirement in the context of subjective net principle. In addition to the basic allowance, there are tax deductions, which are designed to control freedom of subsistence.

Subsistence Report of the Federal Government

The report on the cost of living of adults and children (in short: Living Wages report) is presented since 1995 by the German government initially all three now every two years. He makes statements about the current level of tax-exempt subsistence. This is also not the child benefit oriented.

Austria

Another definition of the subsistence level as in Germany results from the subsistence Regulation of the Republic of Austria, in the nichtpfändbare income is fixed. An exception is the right to child support: claims against barunterhaltspflichtige parents are also permitted if they are subsistence level falls below 25%. (Example: Living Wages Ordinance 2002 - ExMinV 2002, the Republic of Austria ). After the subsistence depends on own income.

Switzerland

A distinction is made in Switzerland, de lege lata, the social assistance law and the legal debt collection Procedures subsistence. Entitled to social assistance to cover the subsistence level, every person in Switzerland, as long as he is not illegally in the country.

The subsistence minimum is calculated often at the cost of renting a simple, functional apartment, health insurance premiums, including deductible and around CHF 1000 for a one-person household or CHF 1500 for a two -person household. In people who have a job activity or are in training, a contract for work-related expenses is granted. A clue to give the non-binding recommendations of the Swiss Conference on Social Welfare. The individual cantons and municipalities calculate the minimum cost of living differently.

If a person seized pursuant to the Federal Act on Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy ( Bankruptcy Law ) of the wage, the debt collection Procedures legal guidelines are used in the calculation of the subsistence apply. These policies can be configured from canton to canton.

Support services of various non -governmental organizations

A concrete help for people living on the breadline financially, may be projects of various non-governmental organizations. For example, charities such as closets, the " boards " or soup kitchens, but also facilities are open in principle to all people as the so-called Umsonstladen.

Beginning of the 20th century

" The necessary to maintain the full performance basic needs of an ordinary farm laborer or unskilled urban day laborer and his family [ ... ] there, so you can say, from a good apartment with several rooms, of warm clothes with some change in petticoats, fresh water, ample cereal food, too much milk, meat, a little tea, etc., and some education and recreation; eventually require that the work of his wife leaves enough time to allow it to proper performance of its duties as a mother and wife. If unskilled workers are deprived in any area of these things, so their performance will suffer in the same way as that of a horse that is not carefully maintained, or a steam engine, which is insufficiently fed. Each consumption up to this limit is absolutely productive consumption. "