Sensible or malicious?

Payment card for asylum seekers under scrutiny

Shopping by card only - this is not even possible in social supermarkets due to the lack of ATMs.(Bild: Pail Sepp)

No more cash for refugees: on July 1, the payment card project will be launched, before which its usefulness will be questioned in parliament tomorrow. For some, it is a guarantee that asylum seekers will not abuse cash, while others fear more bureaucracy and populist harassment. 

Asylum seekers in Upper Austria receive seven euros per day in food allowance - but from July 1, this will no longer be paid out in cash, but on a "credit-based debit card". Of the total 210 euros per month, asylum seekers will only receive up to 40 euros in cash. As reported, the black-blue coalition wants to prevent misuse - such as cash transfers abroad.

Criticism from Caritas and the Greens
However, even before the start of the test phase with an initial 300 refugees, criticism has already been voiced - including by Caritas, the operator of the asylum center, which doubts the usefulness of the card. The measure is also politically controversial. The Greens, who have rejected the project from the outset, accuse Integration Councillor Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) of using it to "deliver populism and win applause and votes" from right-wing voters.

Bumpy start in Lower Austria
The criticism is fueled by experiences from Lower Austria, where the benefits-in-kind card has been tested since the beginning of June. There, for example, it cannot be used to pay in pharmacies, social markets or even in some restaurants.

Neos call for "debureaucratization"
The Neos, who are generally in favor of the payment card, also consider the model that has now been presented to be half-baked. "We agreed to the introduction of the benefit-in-kind card in parliament on the premise that it would lead to less bureaucracy, efficiency and accuracy," says MP Julia Bammer.

Whether it would make sense to create a payment card for all basic services in order to reduce the administrative burden should definitely be evaluated.

Landtagsabgeordnete Julia Bammer (Neos)

They want to ask Hattmannsdorfer tomorrow in parliament to what extent this is guaranteed. Specifically, they want to know how high the cost savings in administration will be as a result of the introduction of the payment card. This should not be "just a bureaucratic or even populist measure", but should actually "help to relieve the burden on the administration and make assistance services more efficient and accurate", says Bammer.

Two questions to Hattmannsdorfer
Hattmannsdorfer will therefore be asked to speak twice tomorrow on the subject of the payment card. As reported, Ines Vukajlović from the Green Party will also address a similar oral question to him.