STORY: (NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS WITHOUT SPEAKER TEXT) Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) on Monday in Berlin: “The federal government has taken note of the verdict. The constitutional court will make a decision on another matter. We have an interest in constitutional clarification the legality, the constitutionality of the solidarity surcharge. In its decision today, the Federal Fiscal Court made it clear that it still considers the solidarity surcharge to be constitutional. That naturally attracts attention. The word “still”. That’s why we’re looking at the decision that Karlsruhe makes. Legally, the decision lies elsewhere. Politically and economically, the opinion of the Federal Minister of Finance has not changed. Politically and economically, the solidarity surcharge should be dropped. That would be the fastest form of strengthening our economic competitiveness for the companies. It would also be a question of credibility that a Once a special tax has been introduced, it does not apply if the purpose does not exist or no longer fully exists. Anyone who wants to increase taxes for specialists and executives and small and medium-sized businesses would have to strive for majorities in democratic elections and not continue with a special tax that is actually at least partially out of date.”