Be careful, the next paragraph is counter-intuitive. But not in the indoctrinating way, but in the Danyal Bayaz way. The Finance Minister of Baden-Württemberg is one of the Greens who are very open to a coalition with the CDU. It’s fitting that Bayaz belongs to such a government in Baden-Württemberg, although from the Greens’ perspective the Christian Democrats have thankfully taken on the junior role.
Bayaz has now intervened in the location debate with a key economic policy speech. Germany is not the sick man of Europe, he said at the “Munich Economic Debates”, a series of events organized by the Munich Ifo Institute and the South German newspaper. However, Bayaz attested to the Federal Republic: “Germany is the most comfortable man in Europe” and ironically added, that is the gender bias, that the Federal Republic could also be described as the “most comfortable woman”.
However, the analysis behind it is intended to be entirely unironic. Germany relies too much on “business as usual” and has become comfortable with its routines and business models. The country relied too much on exports and was able to “sell a few more cars, simply because the world market was going that way.”
Bayaz certainly doesn’t see the most comfortable man in Europe lying in a hammock, “we’re really not lazy.” Things are already being created, but not so much that is new, innovative or disruptive. Germany is not good on these points, complained the Baden-Württemberg finance minister.
“Money creates new jobs, new jobs create bureaucracy.”
Politicians, governments, administration and authorities are expressly included in Bayaz’s uncomfortable criticism. The minister said an energy manager showed him a photo of a VW van on his cell phone. The van was full of Leitz folders to request a bit more wind power. The state must become faster. If companies in the USA apply for funding, they would receive an answer in a few weeks – in Germany it would take two years if in doubt. Bayaz warned against trying to fight bureaucracy with more government spending. “Money creates new jobs, new jobs create bureaucracy,” he said.
He brought with him a concrete anti-bureaucratic suggestion: Bayaz suggested increasing the employee flat rate to 1,500 euros; for 2023 it will be 1,230 euros. The flat rate amount is automatically deducted when the employee sends his tax return to the tax office. If the value were higher, far fewer people would have to collect receipts in their shoeboxes, said the Finance Minister. The tax administration would also be relieved.
For him, the current debate about Germany as a location is sometimes not differentiated enough. “You can talk your way into a crisis,” said Bayaz on the one hand. And on the other hand, he added: “That doesn’t mean that everything is fine,” this view would be naive. He assessed the starting position as “really good,” he said. “I wish us more optimism.” But things would have to happen for that to happen. There is no guarantee that the location will still be as successful in ten or twenty years. “Global prosperity is currently being remeasured.”