Senate wants to decide on supplementary budget in December

Created: 2022-10-04Updated: 2022-10-04 15:46

Berlin's Mayor and Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer (left) takes part in a press conference.

© Carsten Koall/dpa/archive image

Berlin wants to supplement the federal relief measures.

Many additional millions are needed for this - and with it a supplementary budget.

It should come this year.

Berlin - The red-green-red Senate wants to wrap up a supplementary budget as quickly as possible.

A decision on the draft budget is planned for November 8, as Berlin's Mayor and Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer (left) announced on Tuesday after the Senate meeting.

The supplementary budget itself could then be decided on December 15, announced Lederer - and thus possibly before the decision of the state constitutional court on the validity of the election to the House of Representatives, which must be made by the end of December at the latest.

"First of all, we assume that we absolutely need a supplementary budget," said Lederer.

It is necessary to finance the relief measures announced by the Senate against the background of the energy crisis, which are intended to supplement those of the traffic light government in the federal government.

According to Lederer, the scope of the supplementary budget is still open.

So far, the Senate has calculated between 850 million and 1.5 billion euros for its planned relief measures - a very large range.

Lederer pointed out that it is crucial how the relief measures on the part of the federal government look in detail.

It is a system of communicating tubes.

"If we know how much is in one tube, then we know what has to flow out of the other tube." It's difficult to say at the moment.

"If what the federal government is now announcing actually has a lasting effect, then that means that the originally set framework is more likely to be used in the lower range," said the senator - that is more like 850 million euros than 1.5 billion euros.

However, it is clear that “additional resources” are needed.

Lederer described the strategy as follows: It is about securing rather generous funds in order to be able to help quickly and unbureaucratically.

"And if the funds are not fully exhausted, then they will be returned."

In any case, the tax authorities want to wait for the autumn tax estimate, which is expected for the beginning of November, for the budget draft.

According to Finance Senator Daniel Wesener, the Senate wants to focus its draft budget on the Berlin relief package and the state's share of financing the measures decided by the federal government.

Under these conditions, the demanding schedule can be kept.

dpa