(de-news.net) – General secretary of the CDU Carsten Linnemann has called for income taxes to be reduced in a clearly perceptible manner and emphasized that substantive policy progress must be achieved in this domain. He indicated that ongoing and forthcoming negotiations with the SPD should not remain narrowly confined to anticipated reform outcomes in the health care and pension sectors, which are expected to emerge in March and June, respectively. Instead, he argued that these deliberations should be broadened to encompass a comprehensive revision of income taxation. In his assessment, integrating tax reform into this wider policy agenda would be both strategically appropriate and substantively necessary, given the central role of income taxation in shaping household finances and broader fiscal policy.

Shifting top rate entry point seen as key mechanism for relief

A central pillar of Linnemann’s proposal involves raising the income level at which the top marginal tax rate begins to apply. He contended that increasing this threshold from 68,000 euros to 80,000 euros in annual gross income would directly benefit middle-class taxpayers by moderating the intensity of the tax burden within this earnings range. This adjustment, he maintained, would also address the structural distortion commonly described as the “middle-income bulge,” whereby taxpayers encounter comparatively steep marginal rates at income levels not typically associated with high earners. By shifting the threshold upward, the proposal seeks both to ease financial pressure on a substantial segment of taxpayers and to improve the internal coherence and proportionality of the tax system’s progressive structure.

Linnemann further stated that implementation should be scheduled for the midpoint of the current legislative term, thereby allowing sufficient time for the necessary political coordination and fiscal planning. At the same time, Linnemann acknowledged that any reduction in tax revenue would require appropriate and credible financing measures to ensure fiscal stability. He characterized the task of securing adequate funding as an inherent and unavoidable component of the policymaking process, emphasizing that the responsibility for maintaining sound public finances rests fundamentally with elected officials and forms an integral part of the broader reform effort.