The SPD, Greens and FDP would want to invest properly in a traffic light coalition.
Without increasing taxes or touching the debt brake.
An expert is puzzled.
Munich - There is one thing that the negotiators of what is probably the first traffic light coalition in the federal government can write about: As good as nothing has leaked out of the exploratory talks.
The few public statements all seemed to have been agreed beforehand.
Piercing?
Nothing!
One or the other high animal from the CDU and / or CSU should perhaps soon start an apprenticeship in the political competition.
Because even if there was certainly wrestling and quarreling, it happened behind closed doors.
Nobody from the SPD, Greens or FDP later had to read in the media what he or she is said to have said during one of the meetings.
Financing plans of the traffic light negotiators: exploratory paper is publicly dissected
Of course, the exploratory paper published in the middle of the month, on the basis of which the coalition negotiations are to be conducted, was publicly dissected all the more intensely.
After all, it was the first opportunity to see what the three parties had worked out in a not always intimate group.
Quite a few experts didn't seem to believe their eyes at first glance.
Marcel Fratzscher, for example.
The head of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), who had already commented on the postponed pension problem, criticized
the negotiating partners' investment plan
on
ZDF
- “Morgenmagazin”.
Because red, green and yellow want to spend a lot of money in the next four years.
But the question remains: where to get it from?
Financing plans of the traffic light negotiators: More investments without tax increases and with a debt brake
The exploratory paper says: "We will not introduce any new taxes on assets and we will not increase taxes such as income, corporate or value-added tax." The debt brake should not be shaken either.
This indicates very much that the coalition partners would make concessions to the liberals.
For Fratzscher, it doesn't sound too thought through: “It's not serious, because it's not feasible.” The economist complains: “This balancing act of wanting to spend a lot more money - 50, 60 billion euros more per year - all at the same time no additional income, so no additional taxes, and you also want to adhere to the debt brake, which you would miss without the additional expenditure - this balancing act is not possible at all. "
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Doubts about the traffic light plans: DIW boss Marcel Fratzscher does not find the financing plans serious.
© Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa
Financing plans of the traffic light negotiators: Economist would "run up more debt in the short term"
He recommends setting clear priorities.
It is praiseworthy to want to reduce debts now.
But: "In the current situation, where urgent tasks such as climate protection, digitization, it is wise to run up more debts in the short term so that you can secure good jobs in Germany in the long term - and then reduce debts more quickly."
Fratzscher sees two options for how the political trio could finance further debt.
On the one hand, certain expenditures could be outsourced in such a way that the debt brake does not have to be touched - according to the expert, this is "a sham - we economists often talk about shadow budgets".
On the other hand, the fact that the debt brake will also be suspended in 2022 due to the Corona crisis could be used.
This would make it a good idea to tap into money now for future investments and thus be able to comply with the requirements that will apply again from 2023.
This suggestion had attracted lawyers.
Video: The sticking points of the traffic light coalition negotiations
Financing plans of the traffic light negotiators: Hofreiter sees the public sector as an obligation
Nevertheless, Fratzscher seems to have hit the mark.
Because Anton Hofreiter as a member of the Green negotiating team revealed
part of the plans
in the
ntv
broadcast “Frühstart”.
"We can well imagine that the public sector is investing," emphasized the parliamentary group leader.
Born in Munich, he brought the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Deutsche Bahn and Autobahn GmbH into play.
All of them are companies in which the federal government has a stake and whose borrowings are not fully included in the national debt.
The establishment of further companies or the expansion of the tasks of existing companies could obviously also be considered.
Financing plans of the traffic light negotiators: Small teasing against alleged Chancellor Scholz
"It will be ensured that the investments are possible," said Hofreiter.
At the same time, he used the opportunity to joke the alleged Chancellor Olaf Scholz: "If you tackle tax avoidance seriously, you can get a lot of money." Key words: Hamburg, cum-ex deals, Warburg Bank.
Greens boss Robert Habeck was meanwhile in the
ZDF
talk show "Markus Lanz" a little more nebulous.
Regarding the financing debate, he let it be known: “Of course we talked for hours about how this can be achieved while adhering to the debt brake.
Reasons for fairness say that I can't turn this up now, but there are a number of suggestions in the room. "One thing is certain:" Public and private investments will increase significantly. "(Mg)