As of: February 11, 2024, 7:38 p.m
By: Petra Straub
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Weilheim - Weilheim urgently needs income in order to be able to finance the costs of district levies, staff and child care as well as the maintenance of buildings.
On Thursday evening, the city council decided to ask businesses and dog owners to pay more.
In order to improve the budget situation, the city council decided to increase the dog tax with a vote of 24:4.
“In addition to cutting expenses, measures also had to be taken to increase income,” explained treasurer Christoph Scharf in the draft resolution.
It is important to distribute the burden across several shoulders.
The dog tax was last increased in 2012.
For the 823 owners of a dog there is a tax increase from 60 to 100 euros, for the 72 people with two or more dogs there is an increase for each dog from 100 to 200 euros and for the seven fighting dog owners in Weilheim there is usually an increase of 700 each to 1,000 euros.
However, since “no increased aggressiveness” has been proven in these dogs, the tax increase from 60 to 100 euros also applies to them.
In the future, over 100,000 euros in income in Weilheim through dog tax
The current revenue from dog tax in Weilheim is 62,000 euros.
Due to the additional burden, income is expected to increase by 44,000 euros to 105,900 euros.
There are a total of 977 registered dogs in Weilheim.
Local councilor Romana Asam (FW) called for savings “not at any price”.
Dogs protected people from loneliness and kept them fit.
She therefore advised not to burden seniors with the increase upon request.
Just being a pensioner says nothing about whether you can afford a dog or not, said Mayor Markus Loth (BfW).
Asam's proposal did not find a majority.
An increase of 780,000 euros in trade tax revenue
The city of Weilheim is also raising the trade tax in order to be able to finance expenses this year.
“It's a tough plan that we have to drill,” said Scharf before the vote, and also expressed his fear that those affected by the trade tax increase would “certainly not be well received.”
But it is a solidarity contribution.
In the end, the city council voted 24:4 in order to generate additional income of 780,000 euros in the future and thus be able to cover upcoming costs.
The increase in the assessment rate from 380 to 400 percentage points primarily affects the 51 percent corporations and less the 49 percent partnerships in the city.
Partnerships are allowed to deduct trade tax payments up to a rate of 400 percentage points from the income tax payable, “corporations do not have this offsetting option,” explains the treasurer’s office.
The last trade tax increase in Weilheim was twelve years ago
The last time the trade tax in Weilheim was increased from 330 to 380 percentage points in 2012 as part of budget consolidation.
The main committee recommended the new adjustment of the assessment rate to the city council after unanimous approval due to the city's precarious financial situation.
According to the municipality, the assessment rate of 400 percentage points is now at the upper limit of the trade tax creditability for partnerships.
A signal to the economy
A majority in the city council (18:10) followed the urgent request of economic officer Stefan Zirngibl (CSU) and his council colleague Marion Lunz-Schmieder (CSU) to subject the amount of the trade tax in 2026 to another review and the amount of the assessment rate then come back up for discussion deliver.
The aim of the measure is to “show the economy that we take their concerns and needs seriously,” said Zirngibl.
For this he received on the one hand support, but also rejection from the ranks of the council members.
Third Mayor Alfred Honisch (Greens) called the initiative “senseless” in view of the annual review of the assessment rates.
The mayor also emphasizes the annual review and the fact that the city has never been able to lower the rates again.
Horst Martin (SPD) showed understanding for the wishes of his CSU colleagues and advised going into the negotiations in 2026 with an open mind.
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Solidarity contribution from Weilheim traders
A trade tax of 400 percentage points already exists in many municipalities, for example in Murnau, said the mayor.
Marion Lunz-Schmieder, who is also a member of the main committee, spoke of an “enormous burden” on local businesses, but sees no possibility of drawing up a budget that can be approved without solidarity from businesses.
Ullrich Klinkicht (WM) would have liked the city to make more savings in spending instead of the tax increase, as he said. Klaus Gast (CSU) sees the tax increase as a deterioration in the business situation, for example with empty shops in the center.
Karl-Heinz Grehl (Greens) called the tax increase a “good step”, as did party colleague Brigitte Gronau, who cited “locational advantages” of Weilheim’s economy, such as the existing hospital, the train station and the proximity to Munich.
Brigitte Holeczek (BfW) called for business understanding regarding the tax increase, saying that the revenue would cover costs.
Location funding criticizes the lack of dialogue
Florian Lipp from the Weilheim Location Development Association and Josef Wiedemann from the Weilheim local branch of the trade association followed the city council meeting as visitors.
When asked, Lipp was not happy that the city had not informed him about the planned trade tax increase.
He criticizes the fact that the city did not gather information from business owners before the vote.
The entrepreneurs are nervous, have a lot of burdens due to inflation and higher energy prices and cannot pass on 100 percent of these to their customers.
In addition, the property tax has already been increased.
However, the tax increase alone is not the problem; many businesses understand that.
But he would have liked to be asked something like: “How can we make the situation tolerable for you?”
The Weilheim trade association also wants to have a say
Josef Wiedemann is also angry because he only found out about the tax increase when “the child had already fallen into the well,” as he says.
“Unfortunately, the information about the city administration's planned increase in trade tax in Weilheim has not reached us.” He feels “a bit patronized” by the city council decision, he would have wanted to have a say in the search for solutions and had already warned in advance about a trade tax increase.
Reluctance to buy and poor consumer sentiment are by no means all of the problems that the industry has to contend with.
Dying inner cities, closures of shops and vacancies are more reasons for relief than for burdens by increasing trade tax.
Wiedemann believes approaches that promote business sales are more important than tax increases.
“We in the associations are all involved on a voluntary basis and people are welcome to make use of our knowledge.”