The solos should be completely eliminated - even for people with particularly high incomes. The SPD and the Greens stand in the way of Finance Minister Lindner in his project. The FDP politician would therefore like a "new way of thinking" from his coalition partners - also with a view to the chances of re-election.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner continues to advocate reducing the tax burden for citizens and businesses. "For example, the abolition of the so-called solidarity surcharge would quickly improve our country's competitiveness," said the FDP leader.
Soli has already been abolished for most taxpayers, but the ten percent with the highest incomes continue to pay it. His view on the subject has not changed - but at the same time the FDP is aware that the coalition partners SPD and Greens are more in favor of higher taxes, said Lindner. "Nevertheless, I will continue to advocate for the SPD and the Greens to open up to new thinking." The difficult economic situation requires new answers. "A growth package for more dynamism in the economy would also be advisable in the interest of the coalition's re-election chances," emphasized the finance minister.
In response to a major inquiry from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, the federal government announced that around 2.5 million taxpayers would still be burdened with the solidarity surcharge on income tax in 2022, most of them due to income from non-self-employed work (1.9 million) . However, the solos are also due for capital gains. In 2021, when the solos were partially abolished, it brought in around 11 billion euros, in 2020 it was still 18.6 billion euros.
Experts from Lindner's ministry recently submitted proposals on how Germany's competitiveness could be strengthened - and also brought a reduction in income tax into play. This was met with little approval, especially by the Greens. In an interview with the "Bild" newspaper, Lindner then distanced himself from tax cut plans. "As long as there is no new thinking among the coalition partners, I will concentrate on what can be achieved," he said.
