The announcement of billions in relief sounds like good news from the finance minister for citizens.
The process is also significant for Lindner's FDP, which is sending a sign of life, comments Georg Anastasiadis.
Despite the ban on fireworks, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner ignited a supposedly powerful firecracker at the turn of the year.
The FDP leader wants to relieve the German citizens by 30 billion euros.
It is gratifying to hear that at least one person in this federal government is interested in how to keep the tax burden on citizens, who are stressed by inflation and expensive climate plans, within tolerable limits.
Christian Lindner's plan sounds bigger than it is
But Lindner's plan sounds bigger than it is. First, the discharge volume relates to the entire legislative period. So there are only 7.5 billion left per year. And secondly, most of it was a done deal long ago: The old government was still responsible for lowering the EEG surcharge, and the full tax deduction of pension insurance contributions was a requirement of the Federal Fiscal Court. And both are likely to be largely eaten up again by higher taxes elsewhere.
So the left can calm down again: A “redistribution program from bottom to top” is certainly not Linder's package. More like the desperate attempt by the FDP to send a sign of life to the traffic light coalition. The SPD received its minimum wage, the Greens their climate package. Agriculture Minister Özdemir scores with his eco-plan to make meat more expensive, and the Green Foreign Minister Baerbock is also attracting a lot of attention. The liberals, on the other hand, only play the less glamorous role of hindrance (higher taxes and levies) in the traffic light coalition. Many middle-class voters are rightly grateful to them for this now. But it could quickly be over again if the expensive traffic light plans were not successful, if the energy crisis worsened and the seemingly dead Union would find new strength in the opposition.The new life risk of the Ampel-FDP means: participated, caught, hung up.
