When it comes to taxes, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP are pursuing very different approaches.
Nevertheless, they were able to agree on some points in the exploratory paper.
Berlin - The “traffic light parties” have big plans.
The SPD, Greens and FDP want to shape Germany in the future.
The exact plan for this is not yet in place, but an exploratory paper is now available.
It is twelve pages long with aspects of education, housing, minimum wages, digitization, health, etc.
If you have big plans, you have to be able to pay for it somehow.
It was already clear in the run-up to the exploratory talks: It will be difficult to bring the SPD, Greens and FDP into line on the subject of finance and taxes.
You could say: two worlds collide.
Result of the "traffic light explorations": "The finances are better supported in the discussions than it is reflected in the paper"
And even after the exploratory paper was published, there was criticism of how the plans should be financed.
Greens boss Robert Habeck admitted in the ZDF “heute journal” that in the exploratory paper the counter-financing of the planned investments and expenditures was only described “spartan”.
But he emphasized: "The finances are better supported in the talks than the paper shows." That will then "show up in three or four weeks".
So there is still a bit of tension in the subject.
But it is also worth taking a look at what has been written in the exploratory paper so far.
The chapter “Future investments and sustainable public finances” states, for example, that the potential partners want to pursue a policy that significantly increases private and public investments.
The debt brake is an issue again and again in the debate: "We will guarantee the necessary future investments within the framework of the constitutional debt brake, especially in climate protection, digitization, education and research as well as infrastructure," says the exploratory paper.
Taxes and finances in a “traffic light government” in Germany: nothing on wealth tax
A possible “traffic light government” would like to intensify the fight against tax evasion, money laundering and tax avoidance.
"We will continue to actively campaign for the introduction of the global minimum taxation" - an important topic in the eyes of SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz.
A red line by the FDP related to tax increases.
“We will not introduce any new taxes on assets and we will not increase taxes such as income tax, company tax or value added tax,” it now says.
There is no talk of a wealth tax.
There should be a boost for the economy through super depreciation for investments in climate protection and digitization.
Tax bureaucracy should be "noticeably" reduced.
"Higher threshold values and fully digitized procedures" are in the room for this.
Check subsidies and expenditure: SPD, Greens and FDP are looking for budgetary leeway
It's always a good thing to know how much you have to spend.
This also applies to the federal budget.
That is why the SPD, Greens and FDP want to check the budget “for superfluous, ineffective and environmentally and climate-damaging subsidies and expenditures” in order to find additional leeway.
Another concern: "In view of the high investment requirements at the municipal level, we are examining how the municipalities can be relieved of old debts caused by structural change in joint responsibility with the federal states."
Potential coalition negotiations leave room for details.
The field of the legalization of cannabis, an area with which all three parties can in principle, have been left out, for example.
There is already a new label for Hartz IV.
(Cibo / AFP)
