Despite empty coffers, the federal, state and local governments do not always handle public money carefully. The taxpayers’ association denounces the greatest waste in its annual black book.
The public sector has to save money, and yet the federal state and local authorities waste tax money year after year. The current black book of the Taxpayers’ Association (BdSt) once again reveals 100 cases of tax waste.
The biggest case remains the flopped car toll project. “We have calculated that political and legal misjudgments surrounding the introduction cost more than 300 million euros,” says the black book. BdSt President Reiner Holznagel warned those responsible in politics and administration to “handle public money just as carefully as if it were their own.” Holznagel also pointed to successes: “Through consistent criticism, we have often prevented taxpayers’ money from being wasted.”
Expensive administration
Nevertheless, there are some political antics in the Black Book: In Schleswig-Holstein, for example, the “State Office for Road Construction and Transport” is to be renamed “State Office for Transport” – the tasks will not change. The BdSt criticizes that 210,000 euros would be due for new signs and letterhead.
The association complained to the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt about an expensive travel policy: Individual committees wanted to fly to Jordan in November and to Tokyo in April. The state parliament would have previously changed the travel guidelines accordingly. The Lower Saxony state parliament has also expanded further: the presidium now includes five instead of four vice presidents. Costs per deputy: 180,000 euros in one legislative period.
Bad planning and forgetfulness
Public construction projects are regularly expensive and sometimes bizarre. This is how the “House of the Earth” in Hamburg developed into a bottomless pit. The planned new location for the university’s climate and earth system research is now expected to cost 425 million euros. The original budget was 177 million euros.
The city of Wuppertal is particularly highlighted on the list of “expensive mistakes”: a parking garage there was empty for almost two years because the city did not find an operator in time. For this reason, it is said that there was a loss of income after the 4.1 million euro renovation.
Wuppertal in focus
“Golden benches” also attracted negative attention from the tax lobby. Although Wuppertal is saddled with a debt mountain of 1.6 billion euros, the city is affording expensive gold-colored benches in the city center. The federal government calculates that all ten benches that have been set up since October 2022 cost a total of 400,000 euros. Wuppertal has “lost all measure”.
The city is not alone. In Lich, Hesse, a private clinic operator had set up a company kindergarten. However, next to the planned kindergarten there was a helipad that had to be relocated at great expense. The city, which had committed itself to covering any additional costs, now threatens to be stuck with the costs.
Expensive self-promotion
“These examples show that politics is not very economical and in this sense is not a role model,” states the BdSt. This probably also applies to the topic of “self-promotion”. In the 2023 federal budget plan, he discovered more than 150 titles, the expenditure on public relations including “around 500 social media accounts and 1,000 Internet and campaign pages from the federal government alone,” it says.
The association describes political public relations as “legitimate”. Nevertheless, Holznagel is critical of the development. “Tax-financed information sharing must not become a publicity campaign,” said the BdSt President. “Governments’ public relations work must serve exclusively to inform citizens’ free will.”