All ministries recently wanted more money from the finance minister - now the draft for the state budget for 2023 is available. The cabinet wants to decide on it on Tuesday. After that, the budget should go to the state parliament, which has the last word.
Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - The state government of Saxony-Anhalt wants to adopt the state budget for 2023 on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Finance, the total volume should be around 13 billion euros. After the cabinet has approved the budget, it still has to go through the state parliament.
A budget of this size is a "huge budget for this country," Finance Minister Michael Richter (CDU) said at the beginning of August. Among other things, better pay for state staff should be taken into account. According to the Ministry of Finance, tariff increases in 2023 will amount to around 100 million euros.
The country is also preparing for significant additional spending on energy due to the rise in prices. In the 2023 budget, around 30 million euros are additionally planned for the supply of the state institutions. This year, a total of 73 million euros is budgeted for fuel, electricity and heating. A premium of 30 million euros would correspond to an increase of around 41 percent.
Most recently, parallel to the budget deliberations, demands for the state's own rescue package to deal with the energy crisis were also expressed in the state parliament. The SPD parliamentary group, for example, spoke out in favor of launching its own relief package with a volume of around 500 to 600 million euros in the short term. The program was intended to support small and medium-sized businesses.
The opposition Greens demanded a state fund of 500 million euros. This should include aid programs for the economy as well as for clinics, local transport, municipalities, public utilities and clubs. However, the Ministry of Finance considers such a discussion to be premature, with reference to the federal government's planned relief package.
