A new dispute is brewing in the traffic light coalition. It's about the debt brake. While FDP leader Lindner wants to comply with this again from next year, SPD leader Esken now doubts exactly that.
SPD chairwoman Saskia Esken doubts the return to the debt brake in the coming year. "We will have to talk in the coalition about the debt brake or other ways of financing," she told the "Tagesspiegel am Sonntag" with a view to possible further relief packages for citizens and companies because of the sharp price increases. Federal Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner has so far categorically ruled out another exception to the debt brake in 2023.
"The European Union has also said very clearly that it would be fundamentally wrong for public budgets to forego investments in favor of the debt rules," argued Esken. You share this view. "Climate change, demographics, social cohesion - these tasks don't take a break." Therefore, ways must be sought "to continue investing and to be able to finance our socio-political projects".
The topic could come up at the next meeting of the coalition committee. According to the newspaper, the meeting is scheduled for June 22 in the Chancellery. Esken also referred to relief and funding measures in other states. "Some countries are planning to lower VAT rates on groceries. Spain, Great Britain and Italy want to levy taxes on excessive profits." Esken warned that there were sectors that not only made huge profits because of the war against Ukraine, but also during the corona pandemic and distributed them to their shareholders, some of which were tax-financed crisis profits. "That does not work like this."
The Jusos consider a so-called excess profit tax to be necessary. "While many people are in financial crises, some companies are unscrupulously enriching themselves," said Juso chairwoman and member of the Bundestag Jessica Rosenthal of the editorial network Germany. "This lack of solidarity and selfish behavior must be stopped. An excess profit tax is therefore a sensible measure that we should take."
Rosenthal referred to the problems with the tank discount. The temporary reduction in the energy tax on fuel, which came into force on June 1, has so far not had a full impact on prices at filling stations. "Instead of lowering the prices for citizens, the fuel companies simply let their own profits increase," criticized Rosenthal. An excess profit tax "would be a necessary signal that such immoral behavior does not pay off in the end".
