“Do you want the super-rich to pay?” Verena Bentele calls energetically into the microphone on Munich’s Theresienwiese, and adds: “I can’t see you, I want to hear you!” The demonstrators shout a very loud “Yeah!” To the VdK federal chairman. and manifest the message that a broad alliance of parties and charities is about in this kick-off demo: For more social justice and to relieve the state coffers after the corona burdens, the super-rich should be charged higher taxes.
The multiple Paralympics Olympic champion, former Federal Government Commissioner for People with Disabilities and current Germany President of the VdK, immediately dispels a cliché fear that is easily attached to a demonstration in a rich city like Munich: “I am not fighting against wealth – I’ll fight poverty with you! “, shouts the blind social politician to much cheers. And explains that this taxation of the wealthy is not aimed at those Munich residents who live in a condominium, the value of which may exceed one million euros – that is no longer unusual in this city.
Rather, it is about the super-rich. Or actually just the super-super-rich. “The 45 richest households in Germany own 35 percent of their wealth, and it cannot stay that way,” says Bentele. In Angela Merkel’s tenure as Federal Chancellor, that is, in the past 16 years, “poverty has solidified”, criticizes Bentele. Too many children and young people are affected by poverty, “every fifth also in our rich Munich”. In the same period, however, the number of income millionaires doubled.
If all these super-rich were burdened with only a one-off property levy of seven percent for a single year, Bentele continues, then that would on average correspond exactly to the return on those large fortunes. “Forego the return for a year, that will work!” The discussion is currently rather a one percent tax – due every year – and Bentele also conceded that the seven percent were “not a VdK requirement”, “but a Verena requirement, and I will get the VdK on top of that! “
“Clown Nicolino” mainly entertained the younger demo audience with balloon art, but there was also a political demand on his blackboard.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
Nationwide, their social association has 2.1 million members. The alliance “Super-rich to the cash” is much broader in society: The German trade union federation, Verdi and the trade union education and science (GEW) are there as well as Arbeiterwohlfahrt, VdK, Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, Katholische Arbeiterbewegung (KAB), the tenants’ association Munich , Attac and, in addition to some left-wing groups, the SPD, Die Linke and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen.
How unanimous this alliance is on the common goal can be seen on Saturday lunchtime on the Theresienwiese in the fact that, despite the upcoming general election, not all party representatives are pushing to the microphone. Nicole Gohlke (Die Linke) mingles with the demonstrators without a podium appearance, as does the Munich SPD chairwoman and member of the Bundestag Claudia Tausend. And Beatrix Zurek, as chairwoman of the tenants’ association, leaves the stage in front of the peaceful 500 people who the police counts despite the rainy weather. The organizers themselves name 600 demo participants.
138 billionaires and 1.2 million millionaires in Germany
Instead, the stage uses songwriter Roland Hefter and rewrites one of his songs for this demo. In the chorus he sings: “The debts that I have now / kenna now ned all owed. / Since I miss the super-rich / shake hands with the poor.” It’s not about envy debates, he continues, but about justice.
This is exactly how Christoph Schmitz sees it as a member of the Verdi federal executive board. The state – i.e. the federal government, states, municipalities and social insurances – have so far invested 340 billion euros in coping with the corona crisis. Meanwhile, the wealth of the billionaires in this country “increased by 100 billion euros”. People have lost jobs or losses due to short-time work. Many self-employed, especially in the cultural and event industry, would have had to accept a complete work ban. The state has helped everywhere to the best of its ability, but should not be left alone with the debts. In view of the major tasks ahead in education, fairer wages in nursing professions or the creation of affordable housing, it would not do if the state did not experience relief from the super-rich. Because the state is forced by the debt brake anchored in the Basic Law and the conservative doctrine of the “black zero” to quickly repay the corona debts.
138 billionaires and 1.2 million millionaires lived between Munich and Kiel, explained Schmitz. Their net assets add up to 13 trillion euros, or 13,000 billion euros. The richest per mille has almost a quarter of that. Schmitz explains this as follows: “There are 70,000 super-rich who virtually own a quarter of the Federal Republic of Germany; it is as if the inhabitants of Kempten or Schwabing-West were allowed to spread out all by themselves in Bavaria and Saxony, while the other 99 , 9 percent in the rest of Germany would have to jostle. “
“Do we really want to allow the super-rich to waste their money on space trips, while pensioners have to improve their salaries by collecting bottles?” Asked Schmitz. The answer is simple, and after the kick-off in Munich, the broad demo alliance will soon demand across the whole of Germany: “The super-rich go to the cash register!”