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Higher taxes for "the top five percent": SPD top candidate Scholz (center), party chairman Walter-Borjans (left) and Esken
Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP
With the demand for higher taxes for high incomes and assets, the SPD wants to distinguish itself in the coming federal election campaign - and thus create financial leeway for socio-political reforms.
When it comes to income tax, "the top five percent" should be used more.
The countries could benefit from a one percent tax on "very high wealth".
This emerges from the draft of the election manifesto of the Social Democrats, which is to be discussed on Monday in the party executive.
The 48-page paper with the title "The SPD's Future Program" is available to SPIEGEL.
It was written by Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz and the two chairmen, Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans.
In addition to the reintroduction of the wealth tax, the following financial policy measures include:
The
abolition of spouse splitting
: Even before the federal election in 2013, the SPD wanted to remove these tax advantages for spouses with large income differences.
Now a new attempt is to be made: "We will change that for newly concluded marriages and introduce voting rights for existing marriages," says the draft.
No insistence on the black zero
: The SPD rejects the goal of a balanced budget without new loans.
"We stand for a financial and budget policy that finances major investments in the future," says the program.
To finance the substantive reform projects, an SPD federal government will "use the constitutionally possible leeway to borrow".
This indirectly accepts the debt brake in the Basic Law.
In the case of
inheritance tax
, there should be an "effective minimum taxation" of large business assets.
An
income
tax reform should improve "small and medium-sized incomes" and draw the "upper five percent more": a surcharge of three percentage points on income tax should apply from a taxable annual income of 250,000 euros.
A limit of 500,000 euros should apply to married couples.
With these measures, the SPD wants to create room for maneuver for four so-called future missions, which the party executive has already discussed:
Climate protection,
Mobility,
digitalization
and health care.
The federal government should invest at least 50 billion euros in these areas every year.
Hartz IV: "We will abolish unworthy sanctions"
Scholz, Esken and Walter-Borjans have also tackled a controversial topic in the SPD for years in this draft: the abolition of Hartz IV basic security in its current form.
It is to be replaced by a citizen's money.
According to the draft, this includes obligations to cooperate, but also relies on help and encouragement: "We are abolishing senseless and unworthy sanctions." Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil had already submitted a draft law for this, but has not yet penetrated the coalition partner CDU / CSU.
more on the subject
Summit on Wednesday: Scholz calls for a joint approach to corona easing
The SPD wants to strengthen the welfare state, which has proven itself in the Corona crisis, and promote the compatibility of family and work - through improvements in parental allowance, a permanent doubling of the children's illness days to 20 days per parent and through a new family care period during which up to up to 15 months of wage replacement for caring for a relative would be paid.
New "living wage child benefit"
In addition, if the government is involved, basic child benefits are to be introduced and child tax allowances abolished.
In addition to free infrastructure for children such as day-care centers, all-day schools and free travel in local transport, there is to be a new "living wage child benefit" which combines all previous family benefits and is graded according to the parents' income.
The monthly base amount should be 250 euros per child, the maximum amount 528 euros.
The SPD wants to raise the statutory minimum wage to "at least 12 euros".
Speed limit and electric cars
The Social Democrats want to make progress in climate protection by setting a speed limit of 130 kilometers per hour on motorways.
This also reduces the number of accidents and is a building block on the way to a “climate-neutral Germany”.
By 2030, at least 15 million fully electric cars should be on the road.
The green electricity levy, with which every electricity customer pays for the expansion of renewable energy sources, is to be abolished by 2025.
The federal government should then bear the costs of the EEG levy.
In addition, the expansion of solar energy is to be promoted.
All suitable roofs of public buildings as well as new commercial buildings should be equipped with a photovoltaic system.
The party executive committee will discuss the draft for the first time on Monday.
The program will be presented to the federal party conference in May, which will then also officially confirm Finance Minister Olaf Scholz as candidate for chancellor.
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cte / him / dpa / Reuters
