Status: 10/18/2022 2:29 p.m
The federal government wants to finance the aid because of the high energy prices via another special fund. Loans are to be taken out for this in the current year, but the money will be spent until 2024. The Court of Auditors considers this to be unconstitutional.
The Federal Court of Auditors considers the government’s planned borrowing for the EUR 200 billion aid package against high energy prices to be unconstitutional. “The planned borrowing ‘in reserve’ violates the constitutional principle of annuality,” says a 15-page report to the budget committee.
This rule, laid down in the Basic Law, states that the budget is drawn up for one year – loans taken out are intended to compensate for a budget deficit in the same year.
Scholz: “Very dramatic step”
The federal government, on the other hand, plans to finance the aid package with additional loans that will be taken out in the current year. This is a “very far-reaching, very dramatic step,” Chancellor Scholz had previously said.
This special fund is to be used until 2024 to cover expenses such as a gas price brake, business aid and other measures. In its report, however, the Court of Auditors advocates financing the protective shield directly from the normal federal budget.
“Lack of transparency in the federal budget”
The Court of Auditors had even more to criticize about the plans: “The budgeting of the funds in a special fund reinforces the already existing lack of transparency in the federal budget,” says the report. There are already many special funds such as the climate fund, one for digital infrastructure and the modernization of the Bundeswehr.
The budget committee will deal with the report on Wednesday.