As of: February 2, 2024, 9:34 a.m
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With the 2024 budget, the debt brake could be adhered to again for the first time since the corona pandemic.
But there is controversy.
Berlin – On Friday (February 2nd), the Bundestag will hold the final vote on the 2024 federal budget.
Also up for debate is the controversial, gradual abolition of tax relief for agricultural diesel, which is part of the Budget Financing Act.
This law, with which the traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP wants to realize savings, still has to go through the Federal Council.
However, the state chamber will not be dealing with the budget financing law today and therefore not with the end of subsidies for agricultural diesel.
The key points of the budget for 2024
The 2024 budget provides for spending of 476.8 billion euros and initially plans new loans of around 39 billion euros.
If this remains the case, the debt brake would be adhered to for the first time since the beginning of the corona pandemic, as the Basic Law allows a certain amount of leeway in times of poor economic prospects.
The Federal Council is also expected to give its approval to the budget later today.
The Bundestag decides on the budget for 2024. © Michael Kappeler/dpa
The preparation of the 2024 federal budget presented the traffic light coalition with a particular challenge.
Following the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling, gaps in the billions in the main budget and in the climate and transformation fund suddenly had to be filled shortly before the end of the year.
The largest budget is available to Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) with around 175.6 billion euros - a large part of which goes to pension insurance, as well as expenses for citizens' money, for example.
In total, investments amounting to 70.5 billion euros are planned - for example in the rail network and roads.
The defense budget amounts to around 52 billion euros, and there are also billions in funds from the special fund for the Bundeswehr.
Planned savings measures for traffic lights
The SPD, Greens and FDP also agreed on a budget financing law.
In addition to the gradual abolition of tax advantages for agricultural diesel for farmers, this also provides for a higher ticket tax for passenger flights.
This ensures additional revenue for the federal government.
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However, the Federal Council did not agree to shortening the deadline.
The law will initially be discussed in specialist committees in the Federal Council.
The next regular meeting of the Federal Council is scheduled for March 22nd.
The Federal Council does not have to agree to the law, but could object and appeal to the mediation committee.
However, in many states there are coalition governments with traffic light parties - and if a state government disagrees, the state must abstain from the Bundesrat or cannot agree.
The Bundestag is also voting on a proposal from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
In it, the Union calls for the agricultural diesel tax relief not to be canceled.
Group deputy Steffen Bilger said the traffic light decision was a “slap in the face” to farmers.
The government seems to be completely indifferent to the massive and widely supported protest by the peasantry.
The AfD parliamentary group is also calling for an end to the agricultural diesel subsidy in a motion.
Budget 2024: Will the debt brake hold?
It has not yet been finally decided whether the debt brake will actually last.
The traffic light coalition can raise 2.7 billion euros in flood aid after the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley from surpluses in the 2023 budget.
But the war in Ukraine and the shaky support from the USA for the country attacked by Russia bring uncertainty.
If Germany has to step in much more strongly than previously planned, the SPD and the Greens in particular would like to discuss an exception to the debt brake again.
However, this is not the only new budget conflict on the horizon.
Discussions are already underway for the 2025 budget – and these are unlikely to be easy either.
In the main budget alone there is once again a gap in the double-digit billion range.
(dpa)