Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) - The green-black state government approved the key points for the double budget 2023/2024 on Tuesday - but for most ministries the budget negotiations are likely to be difficult. Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz (Greens) wrote in his cabinet proposal that the financial leeway is "very limited". The aim is to reduce the additional structural burden to "the absolute minimum". The departments together have to raise a savings amount of 360 million euros, the remaining 240 million euros will be contributed by the Ministry of Finance itself.
Despite the pleasing tax estimate, which provides for a total of three billion euros more income for the years 2023 and 2024, the coalition only wants to spend around 890 million euros more. The focus of new spending should be on climate protection and education. In addition, you want to put money back in a risk buffer. The coalition is taking this cautious course because it fears that the Ukraine war and the ongoing pandemic will impact the economy and tax revenue. In addition, Corona has torn large gaps in the budget that have to be filled. Bayaz writes that the country has to spend 747 million euros on the repayment of corona loans alone in a double budget.
How does it go from here? At the end of June, the state and local authorities will meet in the joint finance commission. In November, Bayaz put the municipalities off the deliberations on the double budget. At that time they came with a demand of 1.4 billion euros for further investments in schools, daycare centers, digitization, clinics, public transport and climate protection. Shortly before the summer break at the end of July, the leaders of the Greens and CDU will meet again to discuss the distribution of the 890 million euros. Until then, the individual ministers will try to advertise their projects as absolutely necessary.
