Kempten - SPD federal chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans promotes his party before the federal election and speaks on the subject of tax justice.
"It always sounds incredibly arrogant when I say I knew it." With this answer, Norbert Walter-Borjans has the laughs on his side. And his pride can also be heard a little. The SPD co-federal chairman was on his election campaign tour to visit Kempten on Tuesday. Right at the beginning of the event, his comrade and direct candidate for the Bundestag from the Kempten-Oberallgäu-Lindau constituency, Martin Holderied, asked Walter-Borjans what he had to say about the SPD's current “great” poll numbers. On Tuesday, the SPD was in the forecasts at 25.7 and the Union at 21.4 percent.
He could prove it to have predicted the polls, as it can still be seen on the Internet. In a broadcast with Spiegel editor Markus Feldenkirchen in May, he said that the jump from 14 to 25 percent would not happen all at once and not continuously. But "the closer the election day comes, the more people will put the beautiful and colorful promises - that we can get out of everything tomorrow - to the test."
Because, according to Walter-Borjans, it is a matter of looking at what is feasible and how you can get the present and the future together: That the future is secured with climate protection and at the same time that people today do not have to worry about being able to pay their rent or their pension receive.
People would want to entrust this complex task to someone like Olaf Scholz, who has government experience, is persistent and enjoys international respect.
Walter-Borjans campaigned for the SPD candidate for chancellor.
»Tax reduction instead of tax increase package«
Otherwise, ease and humor were rather few and far between at the event on the subject of “tax justice”. The audience of around 60 had been able to send questions in advance. The SPD leader, who has held the federal chairmanship with Saskia Esken since 2019, published the book in 2018: “Taxes - The Big Bluff. The former NRW finance minister reports on his fight against tax evasion and refutes the myths that are spread about our tax system "
"We have to make sure that the vast majority of the population is relieved," said Walter-Borjans about the levies.
The SPD wants to introduce changes so that those who have less than 100,000 euros in tax per year benefit (couples: 200,000).
Those who are above this would have “the strength to do more”.
The latter are five percent of society.
At the same time, the SPD leader wants to “grab those who avoid paying taxes”, namely those with expensive consultants and digital corporations.
The rural area and the car
It was also important for the SPD chairman to emphasize that his party, like the Greens, wants to repay the income from the CO2 tax per capita, "so that people who cannot change," such as a large part of the rural population, can relying on cars, “at least not having a disadvantage”, but those who can reduce their CO2 emissions have an advantage.
Because this repayment is several years in coming, the electricity price must also be reduced beforehand or another form of returning the money must be found.
And in this view, the SPD differs from the Greens, which have less of the very small incomes in mind.
The SPD and the statements of CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak
“If Olaf Scholz becomes Chancellor, the EU will fall apart because then the debt union will come. What do you think of this claim? ”, Holderied asked the comrades about the statement made by CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak. Walter-Borjan's reply was that his toenails would roll up when Ziemiak said something about finances. "60 percent of our exports go to the EU," he added in a more serious tone, and many goods are delivered to Germany by our neighbors.
He himself could have lived to be 68 years old without experiencing a war in Europe, which is due to the achievements of the EU. "If we just let the others stumble, then we have a huge disadvantage economically and culturally," said the SPD leader as a "hot advocate" of strengthening the European Union. Nevertheless, reforms are needed, such as majority decisions, so that one country cannot block everything.
Walter-Borjans also commented on Ziemiak's statement that the SPD wants to abolish spouse splitting while the Christian Socialists want to increase the child allowance: “The child allowance at the CDU should only rise above the level of child benefit when it is taxed 5,000 euros per month there, so with increasing income.
What is the reason for doing something for the common people of society? "
Walter-Borjans on spouse splitting
Instead of abolishing it, the SPD is calling for a reform of the splitting of spouses and for the introduction of a basic child benefit that grows with lower incomes and from which single parents also benefit. The profits that the spouse splitting brings with it are very different. Where the gap between the two partners is between zero and 40,000 euros, the SPD wants to leave everything as it is. Larger differences should melt away, said the SPD leader.
And the candidates for chancellor were also discussed.
While Armin Laschet lacks "the clear line and the seriousness" for the Chancellery, Annalena Baerbock lacks experience.
"From scratch to Chancellor is damn hard wood," said Walter-Borjans.
He has great respect for the Chancellor, who regulates a lot in the background, but also for Olaf Scholz.
Scholz is also a master of talks in which one achieves results together.
For example, he got states at the table that ensure minimum taxation.
The current investigations in Scholz's ministry were not discussed.
