Tax cut for everyone?
SPD makes Lindner poisoned offer
Created: 12/29/2022, 4:29 p.m
By: Jens Kiffmeier
Lindner is flirting with a tax cut.
The SPD is willing to compromise – but sets the FDP conditions.
Rich people won't like that.
Berlin – A relief debate is raging in Germany: the SPD does not want to rule out a reduction in income tax in principle.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) got the ball rolling.
SPD faction deputy Achim Post is now ready for talks.
The Social Democrats sense the chance for a long-cherished dream: higher taxes for the rich and wealthy in Germany.
But will the Liberals play along?
Tax cut: Lindner wants to reform income tax – the SPD sets conditions
In any case, for the SPD, a reduction in income tax is “not taboo” in view of the upcoming challenges, as SPD faction deputy Post said on Thursday.
"But then it would have to be about two things: targeted relief on the one hand, but also more justice on the other hand," said Post, according to the
dpa
news agency, and as a precaution linked the opening of the talks to one condition: "A one-time crisis fee, for example, which is particularly large assets, particularly those involved in the burden of the crisis, can be an instrument for this.”
Wants to negotiate tax cuts with the SPD: Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP).
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
Income tax reduction: Finance Minister Lindner (FDP) has a plan drawn up
Post was reacting to a paper from the department of Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), which considers a reduction in income tax to be appropriate given the current economic situation.
The FDP politician had asked his experts for suggestions on how the economic recovery could be accelerated and Germany's competitiveness strengthened.
"In addition to the measures mentioned, a general reduction in the tariff for income and corporation tax is also an option," says the paper, which was first reported by the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(FAZ).
Alternatively, the complete abolition of the solidarity surcharge is conceivable.
Tax cut 2023: SPD would rather have wealth tax for the rich – but the FDP says no
In the traffic light coalition, such proposals regularly cause explosives.
The three government partners have very different ideas when it comes to tax, duty and tax relief policies.
While the SPD and the Greens, for example, want the higher earners and the rich to share in the costs of the crisis from 2023 due to the enormous expenditure from three relief packages, the FDP rejects this.
There will be no increase in the tax burden, said Lindner recently in an interview with
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
This increases the risk that the economy will stall and Germany will fall behind in international comparison.
Still, Post sees some leeway for a compromise.
Of course, there are different starting positions within the traffic light coalition when it comes to tax policy, he conceded.
"But this coalition has finally agreed on reasonable compromises on some difficult issues," said the SPD politician.
"With good will and a dash of pragmatism, you can often get further than originally thought." (
jkf/dpa
)
