Category: Finance
FDP for investments without tax increases
(GermanPolicy.com) – FDP chairman Christian Lindner has called for the coming Federal Government to rule out tax increases and a relaxation of the debt brake. The FDP wants to make investments possible if it participates in the government after the elections. “These are our guard…
Immediate political program in case of Armin Laschet’s victory
(GermanPolicy.com) – The CDU board of directors has decided on an immediate program that is to be implemented if the Union parties win the general election. Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (CDU) agreed to relieve small and medium incomes by increasing the lump sum. Instead of…
Altmaier wants to abolish the EEG surcharge to achieve cheaper electricity
(GermanPolicy.com) – Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) would like to significantly reduce the EEG surcharge by up to a third by January 1, 2022 and completely abolish it in the coming three years. The levy according to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG)…
Scholz against reforming the debt brake
(GermanPolicy.com) – Olaf Scholz, the SPD’s candidate for Chancellor, sees a coalition with the Greens and the FDP as a possibility. According to media reports, Scholz said that the constitutionally stipulated brake on debt did not need to be reformed. The FDP urges that the…
Laschet, Merz: Red-Red-Green would be “poison for economic recovery”
(GermanPolicy.com) – The candidate for Chancellor of the Union parties, Armin Laschet, and CDU financial expert Friedrich Merz have warned that the election of a red-red-green government due to tax increases would be “poison for economic recovery.” An 8-point paper reads that a tax increase…
Söder warns of Red-Red-Green
(GermanPolicy.com) – Speaking at his party’s congress, CSU chairman Markus Söder warned of a red-red-green government. A left slide must be prevented, Söder explained. Germany should be ruled by Armin Laschet, not with Olaf Scholz or Annalena Baerbock at the helm. A left Federal Government…
Söder wants relief for medium-sized businesses
(GermanPolicy.com) – The chairman of the CSU, Markus Söder, considers a Grand Coalition led by the Social Democrats to be unlikely. The SPD will do everything to form a left coalition, he said, according to media reports. Prosperity should not be neglected when it comes…
A ‘future fund’ for the car industry
(GermanPolicy.com) – The Federal Government will provide a “future fund” of one billion Euros for the changing automotive industry by 2025, as announced by the Federal Minister of Finance and SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz. 340 million Euros are to flow into regional cooperations and…
Laschet for less bureaucracy, Scholz for solidarity – both opt for tax relief
(GermanPolicy.com) – The two candidates for the office of Federal Chancellor, from the CDU and the SPD, have affirmed their different positions in tax policy. Armin Laschet (CDU) accused the SPD of endangering the positive economic development in Germany through tax increases. Relief is needed,…
Laschet for extended suspension of bankruptcy filings
(GermanPolicy.com) – The candidate for the office of Federal Chancellor, Armin Laschet (CDU), would like to see the obligation to file for insolvency for companies suspended in the regions affected by the recent flood disaster. The obligation to file for bankruptcy has already been lifted…
Unconditional basic income cannot be financed
(GermanPolicy.com) – According to the Scientific Advisory Board at the Federal Ministry of Finance, an unconditional basic income would not be financially feasible. If all German citizens were to receive funds at the subsistence level, the monthly basic income would have to be 1,208 Euros…
Consumer advocates want tax cuts on fruits and vegetables
(GermanPolicy.com) – The possible price increases for meat products to enable better animal keeping should be compensated for, according to a proposal by the consumer advice centers. Households could be relieved by lowering the VAT on fruits and vegetables. “That means we would be under…
Wage gap for women and employees in eastern Germany keeps shrinking
(GermanPolicy.com) – The wage gap between East and West Germany decreased slightly in 2020. In the new Federal States, the average gross wage per month for full-time employment was 2,890 Euros, below that in the west, where 3,540 Euros were paid. The difference was 49…
Tax relief would cost 39 billion Euros
(GermanPolicy.com) – According to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research, lowering taxes for the middle class would cost 39 billion Euros per year. If the lowest-earning 95 percent of the German population were to be relieved of one percent of their income,…
Climate policy: driving and renting a place of living should be burdened to a lesser extent
(GermanPolicy.com) – Drivers and tenants should be burdened to a lesser extent for measures against climate change. This is what the Center for European Economic Research has called for. Should it remain that 61 percent of CO2 emissions come from the transport and building sectors,…
Unvaccinated persons to pay for rapid tests from 11 October
By Thorsten Koch GermanPolicy.com The Federal Government and representatives of the Federal States decided this week that persons not vaccinated against Covid-19 will have to pay for rapid concerning the disease out of their own pocket from October 11. Only this way will they be…
Raise in CO2 prices to adjust to climate targets suggested
(GermanPolicy.com) – The price for CO2 certificates should be increased in the event that the previous measures are not sufficient to achieve the German climate targets. “With the CO2 price, we have created an effective instrument with which we can make adjustments at any time,”…
After the flood disaster: Laschet wants legal security for reconstruction
(GermanPolicy.com) – Armin Laschet (CDU), candidate for Chancellor and Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, has called for a special session of the German Bundestag on the subject of flood relief. Legal certainty and a clear signal for the coming years are needed. That is a…
BDI demands tax breaks for companies
(GermanPolicy.com) – The Federation of German Industries (BDI) has campaigned for tax cuts in the interests of business. The average tax rate for German companies is 30 to 31 percent. This means that no competitiveness is possible, the BDI criticized. In the EU, on the…
Environmental associations call for new locations for houses and more space for water
by Thorsten KochGermanPolicy.com Several environmental associations have called for reconstruction efforts after the flood disaster in western Germany to be adapted, with a view to tackling climate change. Rivers need to be given more space and some buildings rebuilt elsewhere instead of erecting them as…
Flood damage: restoring routes and bridges will cost 700 million Euros
The Federal Ministry of Transport is assuming a financial burden of over 700 million Euros for the rehabilitation of highways, roads and bridges damaged or completely destroyed by the flood disaster a week ago. The first stretches can again be frequented. However, in certain cases,…
Flooding in Germany: “overwhelmed” by the solidarity
by Thorsten KochGermanPolicy.com Within a week, the Action Alliance for Disaster Relief, supported by the TV broadcaster ZDF, recorded over 36 million Euros in donations. A spokesman said there was hardly any comparable willingness to donate. The German Red Cross, Caritas, Diakonie and Unicef are…
Heavy rains caused damage to agriculture, rail, and motorway routes
by Thorsten KochGermanPolicy.com Agriculture has suffered much damage in the disaster areas in western Germany. “Several thousand hectares” of fields are affected, said a spokesman for the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture. Satellite images will allow for a more precise overview. In addition to the…
Flood disaster in Germany: in search of solutions
by Thorsten KochGermanPolicy.com The situation in the wake of the severe floodings in the west of the Federal Republic of Germany has stabilized. Authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate announced that officials and helpers are now getting a comprehensive picture of the situation. It is…
ECB Director: inflation will not be too high in the medium term
The concerns about a sharp rise in inflation are unfounded, said Isabel Schnabel, member of the board of directors of the European Central Bank (ECB). Schnabel emphasized that she is “sure” of this. The current development is temporary, she said. The central bank currently has…