Lose 18 kilos

“Before my dog goes hungry, I’d rather suffer”

The sweet mongrel dog "Sky" is being well looked after despite the financial misery.(Bild: zVg)

A North Burgenlander's application for minimum income was rejected because he had inherited money. But he used the money to pay off all his debts. He receives emergency assistance and has to get by on 183 euros a month.

In June of the previous year, Mario Paul Pfeiffer had to promise his mother Gertrude on her deathbed that he would sell her house after her death and use the proceeds to pay off his debts. The boy was very good, not a cent of the 46,858.43 euros remained.

Hide the money?
So the recipient of unemployment assistance (790 euros a month) submitted an application for minimum income (1156 euros) to the district authority. In summary, this was rejected on March 18 due to the inheritance. "It would have been better to hide the money and live off it, they said." Which wouldn't even have worked in theory. "Then the bailiff would have come or the salary from the next job would have been seized."

"Sky" has priority
The 43-year-old calculates how badly he has to make ends meet: 790 emergency assistance minus 320 rent minus 150 electricity minus 65 cell phone etc. minus 72 car insurance makes a total of 183 euros per month available to him to live on. His dog "Sky" has priority. "Before he goes hungry, I'd rather suffer." The 1.84 meter tall man from northern Burgenland has lost 18 kilos. "I'm currently at 65 kilos."

I don't know what to eat. The main thing is that my dog is doing well, and the important thing is that I have enough gas to get to my new job.

Mario Paul Pfeiffer

Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV

Of course, according to the Burgenland Minimum Security Act, the district authority's decision is fine. "But not from a human point of view," says Pfeiffer. "People like me are totally left hanging by the authorities, even though they play by the rules. It's a good thing if you pay your debts - including to the Republic of Austria."

Work at last!
Pfeiffer started work again on Wednesday. "I hope that I can hold out until my first salary in a month's time. The main thing is that I can get to the company by car every day."