Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) has discarded SPIEGEL information controversial considerations of his officials to reform the charitable law. He responded to fierce criticism from associations and critical reporting (SPIEGEL 48/2019).
For special displeasure had made a planned change in the tax code, after a club would have lost its charitable status and thus tax benefits, if he "behave not party political neutrality."
Scholz obviously went too far. He told his officials at a meeting this week to find new formulations that would allow the clubs to continue to engage in political engagement, including statements on day-to-day politics. "None of the variants discussed so far has convinced the minister," the Federal Ministry of Finance announces on request. They did not fulfill Scholz's objective of "protecting clubs and enabling them to continue their political engagement".
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Critics complain that the original formulation had the effect of a muzzle. "Associations and associations could not express themselves in the same way as before against parties or party politicians critical," says Jürgen Resch, head of the German Environmental Aid.
The Frankfurt lawyer Johannes Fein calls on Scholz to create clear regulations that actually bring legal certainty: "The right of non-profit associations, especially environmental associations, to express themselves politically in the context of their purpose must not change."
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