Status: 02.01.2022 1:19 a.m.
Finance Minister Lindner wants to relieve citizens significantly in the coming legislative period without breaking the debt limit. In addition, the corona aid for companies is to be expanded, he told “Bild am Sonntag”.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner promises citizens and companies extensive tax relief for 2022. “In this legislative period we will relieve the people and medium-sized businesses by significantly more than 30 billion euros,” said Lindner of the “Bild am Sonntag” preliminary report. For example, you will then be able to fully deduct the contributions to the pension insurance from tax. The EEG surcharge on the electricity price will be abolished.
In addition, Lindner announced a “Corona tax law”. “A number of aid measures will be created or expanded,” he told the BamS. For example, losses in 2022 and 2023 should be offset against profits from previous years. “Nobody should be driven into ruin by tax debts during the pandemic,” said Lindner.
The debt brake should be adhered to
Meanwhile, the finance minister reaffirmed the goal of fully complying with the debt brake again from 2023. After the pandemic, “we have to go back to solid public finances”. Lindner called on his cabinet colleagues to be thrifty. The leeway in 2022 is narrow. “So only the prosperity that was previously generated can be distributed.” After the pandemic, Germany had to go back to solid public finances. “We have a responsibility to the younger generation.”
Specifically, Lindner called for the new construction of the 50 million euro government terminal at Berlin’s BER airport not to be built. “I do not consider a new representative building for state guests and ministers to be necessary.” He hopes that the Foreign Office, led by Annalena Baerbock, will change its previous opinion. The previous transitional building could be used permanently. “A waiver would be the signal that we are careful with taxpayers’ money.”
Lindner had already made solid finances and adherence to the debt brake key issues during the federal election campaign. However, when he presented a supplementary budget through which unused loans to the fight against the corona pandemic in the amount of 60 billion euros were rededicated for investments in climate protection and digitization, there was criticism from the opposition