Finance Minister Lindner and Economics Minister Habeck are discussing relief for companies. In the “Report from Berlin” Lindner advocates a “dynamization package” and wants to first abolish the solidarity surcharge for companies.
Those involved – Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck – now see what was the next dispute within the traffic light coalition as a basis for negotiations to relieve the burden on companies.
In the “Report from Berlin” Lindner called for the solidarity surcharge for companies to be scrapped. According to the FDP minister, this is “the easiest and fastest way” to relieve the burden on companies. Another advantage: municipalities and municipalities would “not be called upon”, only the federal government. However, Lindner emphasized, there needs to be discussion within the federal government about ways to provide counter-financing.
“Companies should finance the state”
Economics Minister Habeck had previously envisaged another way to provide financial relief for companies. Proposal one was made on Thursday during a speech in the Bundestag: A special fund should finance the tax relief, but not burden the federal budget – just as a special fund was set up for the Bundeswehr.
The FDP and Lindner promptly gave a clear no. No “subsidies on credit,” the finance minister also made that clear in the “Report from Berlin.” After all, “companies should finance the state and not the state finance the companies,” emphasized Lindner. In addition, such a billion-dollar “debt pot” could not be implemented – if only because the Union would not agree to such a plan.
Lindner advocates “Dynamization package”
After opposition from his coalition partner, Habeck partially backtracked in the “Welt am Sonntag”. There was no longer any talk of special assets, but of a corporate tax reform. Because, the Green politician told the newspaper: “I also see that overall we have corporate taxation that is no longer internationally competitive and investment-friendly enough.” That’s why the federal government must “finance tax relief and tax incentives for investments in the future in order to really unleash the forces.”
Lindner “can only welcome” this statement from the Economics Minister. That has been his opinion “for a long time.” But now “concrete consequences” must follow, because “if we do nothing, Germany will become poorer,” he warned. The finance minister’s solution: a “dynamization package” that “includes the labor market, climate protection, energy prices, bureaucracy and taxes.”
Save – but where?
Lindner and Habeck are now apparently discussing how and under what name measures will be taken to enable relief for companies. To “do something constructive with it,” as Lindner put it. Because it is clear: “Now we have to deliver.”
There are already signs that a compromise might not be easy. The following also applies to the federal budget for next year: savings must be made – as Lindner told “Welt am Sonntag”, probably a “double-digit billion euro amount”. In order to make these savings possible, “we will have to get used to the fact that we need to make our welfare state more effective,” Lindner continued.
But the Greens and the SPD do not want to make any compromises, especially when it comes to the welfare state.