In view of the housing crisis, the construction industry and the IG are demanding massive financial aid from the federal government. This would also include fewer taxes and regulations. The Federal Chancellery has invited people to the housing summit on Monday.
Less taxes, fewer rules, more funding – the construction industry is demanding an aid package from the federal government in view of the housing crisis. “We need a Chancellor’s decision for more housing construction in Germany,” says a demand paper for the so-called housing construction summit this Monday in the Chancellery, from which RTL and n-tv quote.
In the paper, the main association of the German construction industry calls for the property transfer tax to be reduced or temporarily suspended. Energy standards for new residential buildings are to be handled more relaxed than planned. Funding for new construction must be significantly expanded. “Without a construction package, housing construction will not get back on track in the short term,” it continues. “All construction indicators are pointing clearly downwards, and there is no trend reversal in sight.” There is a risk of workers leaving the industry.
“Average family must be able to finance property”
The Federal Association of German Prefabricated Buildings demanded that “the average family” should be able to finance home ownership again. “The income limit for new construction funding must therefore be increased immediately from 60,000 euros to at least 90,000 euros for families,” explained association boss Achim Hannott.
“People are expecting a lot of housing construction momentum,” explained the managing director of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry (ZDB), Felix Pakleppa. ZDB boss Pakleppa has high hopes for the top meeting in the Chancellery. “Never before has an entire sector of the economy looked forward to a meeting in political Berlin with such anticipation,” he explained. “The meeting will be a reality test for the government’s housing policy.”
“Need a real boost”
“What we need now is a real boost so that housing construction doesn’t collapse,” said IG Bau union leader Robert Feiger to the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. “Anything that is not financed now will be twice as expensive later,” he continued. The state must therefore now make funds available. Around 50 billion euros are needed for social housing. “Another 22 billion euros are needed in this legislative period to create housing that is affordable for people with middle incomes.”
At the Alliance Day for Affordable Housing, work will be carried out, among other things, on achieving the stated goal of 400,000 new apartments per year. However, mainly due to increased construction costs and interest rates, the construction industry is in crisis and the goal set is a long way off.
Hope already given up
Some associations have already given up hope. The leading association of the housing industry (GdW) and the owners’ association Haus & Grund announced on Friday that they would boycott the meeting.
No tangible, positive result can be expected. Instead, they accused the federal government of planning an “primarily public” event.