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Finance Minister Lindner: Don't strangle economic development
Photo: CLEMENS BILAN / EPA
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has rejected the demand of his Baden-Württemberg counterpart Danyal Bayaz (Greens) for a “war solo”.
That would be tantamount to a massive tax increase and could strangle economic development, Lindner warned on Friday.
»We need more growth impulses, more start-ups, more overtime to ensure our prosperity.
Tax increases would sabotage the strengthening of the economy,” he said in Berlin.
Because of the great burden of the Ukraine war and the corona pandemic, Bayaz believes tax increases after the crisis are unavoidable.
"Why not something like a war solo in such a difficult time," said the Green politician on Thursday in the SWR program "Zur Sache Baden-Württemberg".
The traffic light has ruled out tax increases in its coalition agreement.
But once this crisis is over, the question must be answered as to who will foot the bill for the aid packages and the special fund for the Bundeswehr.
Lindner said: »We are in a fragile situation.
On the one hand, people fear that inflation will not be able to pay for their lives.
On the other hand, an economic crash must be prevented.« Compliance with the debt brake is an important contribution to combating inflation.
“The interest rates, which are also rising sharply for Baden-Württemberg, should prompt my esteemed colleague not to recommend any new debt to the federal government,” said the FDP chairman.
mik/dpa-AFX
