Munich millionaire demonstrates against the tax system: "Rich heirs should pay more"

Created: 2022-11-25 09:10

Demonstration for more tax justice: an alliance of three associations protested yesterday in front of the Foundation for Family Businesses.

© Markus Goetzfried

Anyone who inherits enough has simply had a lot of luck.

And that's what really bothers some people.

So they formed an alliance.

Munich - The network of tax justice, the citizens' movement Finanzwende and Taxmenow have one goal: Rich heirs should have to pay more taxes.

No more privileges for the super-wealthy!

Antonis Schwarz is a founding member of Taxmenow - an initiative of wealthy people who advocate more tax justice.

"In Germany it's like this: The more assets you have, the lower the tax rate.

More than half of all assets in Germany are inherited, not earned,” says the Munich native.

He himself is a millionaire and has been bequeathed his fortune.

Unfair in his opinion.

"We at Taxmenow benefit greatly from this system - but at the same time our situation enables us to raise our voice for more tax justice." The alliance criticizes the loopholes and exceptions that can be found in German tax law.

They demand that above all the exceptions for business assets and company transfers must be abolished.

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The location of their action was therefore not chosen at random: in front of the Foundation for Family Businesses on Prinzregentenstraße.

"The really big players in Germany, the billion dollar corporations, are represented here," says Julia Jirmann from the Tax Justice Network.

According to critics, the foundation managed to lobby for a tax break for large fortunes over 26 million, says Jirmann.

From January it will be expensive

On January 1, it will be more expensive to inherit a property: the factors used by the tax office to determine the market value of a house are to be adjusted.

This effectively increases inheritance and gift tax.

"It has to happen because real estate values ​​have been undervalued for years," says Julia Jirmann from the Tax Justice Network.

However: “We are concerned with the exceptions for the super-rich, i.e. millions in gifts and millions in inheritance.

However, these exceptions, which would have to be adjusted because of the constitution, are not touched upon.

From our point of view, this is an untenable situation," says Julian Merzbacher from the citizens' movement Finanzwende. 

"It's the right place to point out how unjust Germany is"

"It's the right place to point out how unjust Germany is," says Daniel Mittler from the Finanzwende citizens' movement.

Most in Germany would inherit nothing, only about 30 percent of the population.

And only 0.03 percent would inherit over 20 million.

"But these people, of all people, pay less tax than those who receive fewer bequests."

The bye for the super-rich: The three clubs also denounce the fact that the Federal Constitutional Court has repeatedly classified the exemptions from inheritance tax as unconstitutional.

Among other things, the regulation was criticized: Anyone who inherits 300 apartments (or even more) does not have to pay taxes.

On the other hand, whoever owns three apartments usually inherits a whopping sum.

“Those responsible must make politics for society instead of putting the interests of the super-rich above everything else,” says Mittler.

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