300 euros a month: That's what a party membership costs – and that's how serious the differences are

Parties are losing more and more members.

This could also be due to high contributions.

Who can afford a three-digit amount per month in these times?

Two parties are particularly expensive.

Cologne – Where does the monthly membership fee range from 2.50 euros to 300 euros and more?

The answer to this question was worth 8,000 euros in a "Who wants to be a millionaire?" issue at the beginning of February.

Wrong was: Netflix, Borussia Dortmund and the ADAC.

Right: the SPD.

Wait a moment.

300 euros a month to be a member of the Social Democrats?

That not only sounds expensive, it is expensive, especially compared to the other parties.

The cost of membership in a party usually depends on the salary.

Some parties take the gross salary as a benchmark, others the net salary.

The same applies everywhere: It is about minimum amounts, paying more is always possible.

of

has

chosen the gross salaries in such a way that the same net salary is obtained in tax class I (without children, without church membership) – in order to ensure comparability.

The SPD party book costs 300 euros a month if you earn 6,000 euros net.

Greens members pay EUR 60 for the same income, FDP members EUR 52, CDU members EUR 50 and AfD members EUR 10.

Only the Left Party is as expensive as the Social Democrats.

There, the monthly membership with the corresponding salary would cost 240 euros.

Lower party membership dues due to economic crisis?

"Not planned"

If the monthly income is lower, the differences become blurred.

At 2,000 euros net per month, SPD membership costs 21 euros.

The Greens (20 euros), CDU (17 euros), FDP (15 euros) and AfD (10 euros) are in a similar range.

Only the left deviates extremely from the average at 65 euros.

Three-digit sums for a party membership - especially in view of the enormously increased prices, that almost seems like a luxury subscription.

There is also the fact that party donations can be claimed for tax purposes, which for many is more of a drop in the bucket.

Against the background of shrinking membership numbers, especially in the SPD, the question is all the more urgent: Isn't it time to reduce membership fees in line with the crisis?

That is not planned, says an SPD spokesman at the request of the

from

.

In the past it was the other way around anyway.

Because: In recent years, the average contribution per SPD member has increased.

“Since 2003 there has been an annual percentage adjustment of the membership fees, which is based on the increase in average net income.

Excluded from this are members who object to this adjustment and members who pay the exceptional fee of 2.50 euros per month.

The age structure of the SPD: “It is primarily the demographics that ensure that the party is shrinking”

The party does not know how many SPD members are leaving because of the membership fee.

“A connection between the amount of the contribution and leaving the party or the intention to leave is only discussed in individual cases, for example in the case of unemployment, retirement, care.

Our statutes allow you to independently adjust the contribution according to your life situation at any time.

Our members are made aware of this," says the SPD spokesman.

The left did not respond to a request from our editors.

Uwe Jun is not surprised that the left and the SPD are comparatively expensive in the upper income bracket.

He is a professor of political science at the University of Trier.

His specialty: party research.

“If you have more, you have to pay more.

This is an important core of social democratic politics, which is also traditionally applied to membership fees," says Jun.

Overall, he has been observing the decreasing insignificance in the German party landscape for years.

“Today, being a member of a party is less important in society than it was in the 1970s or 1980s,” says Jun. “Party membership means that I commit myself ideologically and organizationally.

Young people in particular are less and less likely to want both of these things.” Would small contributions get more young people excited about parties?

"It can hardly be assumed."

From research one does not know exactly whether excessive membership fees favor the decline in membership of German parties.

“When someone leaves a party, content-related aspects usually play the most important role.

You no longer support politics, or you are dissatisfied with the people involved in a party," explains Jun. The SPD has another special feature: "The party has the highest average age of its members.

It's primarily the demographics that are causing the party to shrink," said Jun.

There is another reason why the membership fee is presumably not the decisive factor: in many cases, what is due according to the statutes is not paid at all.

"Parties cannot verify the information on salaries," says Jun. "It must therefore be assumed that many party members pay less than they have to.

It doesn't even have to be malicious intent, people often simply forget to adjust the contribution after a salary increase.” In addition, the amount of the membership fee is a political issue in the parties.

"As a rule, you rarely go into this fundamentally," says Jun.

The expert explains that the membership fees are very important in terms of their overall financing, especially for the SPD and the left.

“The Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that a maximum of 50 percent of the budget may come from state funds.

The second half must come from other sources.

This includes membership fees and donations.

Since, for example, the SPD and the Left Party tend to receive fewer donations, membership fees are very important for them.” Other parties would finance themselves somewhat more through donations.

Intra-party top tax rate of the SPD: "Strong shoulders have to carry more"

If you look at the membership fees of the parties in comparison, it is striking: Especially in the SPD, members with increasing income also have to dig much deeper into their pockets.

More income, more taxes - wasn't there something?

Correct.

The SPD went into the 2021 federal election campaign with a demand for higher taxes for the wealthy.

In the coalition talks of the traffic light government, however, the FDP vehemently opposed such plans.

The comrades already live the principle of solidarity within the party.

If an SPD member earns 3,000 euros net today and 6,000 euros next month, the membership fee does not double.

It increases elevenfold.

Why not implement this as a governing party?

The SPD spokesman only says: “The SPD is convinced that strong shoulders can and must carry more in absolute and relative terms.

This principle of solidarity also guides us when it comes to membership fees.”