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Finance Minister Christian Lindner
Photo: Michael Kappeler / picture alliance / dpa
According to information from SPIEGEL, the federal government had to take out fewer loans than planned in the past year.
According to preliminary calculations by the Ministry of Finance, the new debt in the federal budget will be at least ten billion euros less than the initially planned amount of 240 billion euros.
The reason for this is that tax revenues are going better than initially thought.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) wants to present the official budget in the coming week.
Until then, the number may change slightly because the tax offices still have a few days to post tax revenue.
Federal government closes with record debt
The new debt would be significantly lower if Lindner did not move 60 billion euros, which were earmarked for financing the consequences of the pandemic last year but were not needed, to the energy and climate fund.
The measure is considered constitutionally problematic.
The federal government was only allowed to take on so much debt because it made use of an exemption from the debt brake due to the corona pandemic.
It is controversial whether Lindner may reallocate the funds for other purposes.
Even if the federal government has not fully exhausted the credit line in 2021, it closes with a record level of debt.
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