Erfurt (dpa/th) - Before the budget deliberations in the budget committee of the state parliament, the CDU parliamentary group applied for an increase in state funds for small municipalities. According to CDU ideas, funds to strengthen cities and communities belonging to the district are to be increased from the current 30 million euros to 45 million euros, as can be seen from an amendment by the parliamentary group for the 2023 state budget submitted to the German Press Agency. In 2021 and 2022, the municipalities would have received flat-rate allocations of 200 euros per inhabitant - based on the first 250 inhabitants per municipality - in view of inflation, the increase to 300 euros is necessary.
The local political spokesman for the parliamentary group, Raymond Walk, accused the red-red-green state government of wanting to cancel the program for small communities in 2023, which was only launched at the insistence of the CDU. So far, the extra funds could have been used to renovate playgrounds, side streets, youth clubs and senior citizens' clubs. Group leader Mario Voigt pointed out that local authorities must be able to raise their own financial contributions to publicly funded investments.
This Thursday (December 8), the budget committee is dealing with the large number of amendments for the 2023 budget. The red-red-green coalition government does not have its own majority in the state parliament and is dependent on four votes from other groups for a budget decision.
