The state parliament Greens have called on the Interior Ministry not to hoard tax revenue from the so-called fire protection tax. Instead, they should also be made available for the urgently needed renovation of fire stations and not just for new construction. Specifically, the Green group is calling for an additional 20 million euros to be budgeted for this in the new budget.
The Greens refer to figures from the Ministry of the Interior in the answer to a parliamentary question from the group. Accordingly, the remaining tax expenditure that accrues to the Free State has been increasing for years. For the first time, Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) is now sitting on more than 100 million euros, namely exactly 108.3 million.
The fire protection tax is a tax levied on insurance premiums for fire insurance. “Good fire departments need good equipment, and that starts with modern fire stations,” says domestic policy spokesman Florian Siekmann. Cities and municipalities bear the greatest financial burden for construction and renovation. “That’s why they should be entitled to the lion’s share of the fire protection tax. The bunkering of millions in the CSU Ministry of the Interior must finally come to an end.”
In its response to the Greens’ request, the Interior Ministry points out that most of the money has already been earmarked for fire department needs: around 75 million euros are still firmly earmarked for measures already under construction at the three fire brigade schools in Geretsried, Regensburg and Würzburg. And additional funds “at least in the higher double-digit million euro range” would be needed in the next few years for absolutely necessary further investments in the three schools.
In addition, the remaining expenditure is also needed for the increase in fire brigade funding. As of July 1, 2023, the fixed amounts for the construction of fire stations were doubled and the fixed amounts for the procurement of fire engines and equipment were increased by 30 percent.
The Greens, on the other hand, demand that the money should also be made available to cities and municipalities for the renovation of dilapidated fire stations. Because not every fire station has to be torn down and rebuilt on a greenfield site; comprehensive renovation often helps. However, cities and municipalities have so far been left to their own devices. And: Even after deducting the investments already planned in the fire brigade schools, there is enough money left for additional funding for renovations.