Dusseldorf (dpa / lnw) - In view of the record debts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia of almost 160 billion euros, the President of the Court of Auditors, Brigitte Mandt, has sounded the alarm again. She called for a "budgetary fresh start" by curbing spending. "There is not money for everything," said Professor Mandt on Tuesday in Düsseldorf at the presentation of the 2022 annual report.
The country's budgetary situation, which was already tense in the "pre-Corona years", has worsened. The pandemic-related NRW rescue package of around 15.8 billion euros will put a noticeable strain on the budget for decades. The consequences of the flood catastrophe will also lead to tax losses of up to 100 million euros annually up to 2050.
Rising interest rates could quickly lead to significant additional burdens on the budget. For new projects of the new state government, it looks rather bleak, said Mandt. A strict consolidation of the budget is the order of the day. A further delay in the measures can no longer be justified.
