No higher income tax: swallow toads for the traffic lights

The Green politician Jürgen Trittin defends his party's waiver of tax increases for the rich in the traffic light explorations.

“The delegates know that there are no tax cuts for higher earners.

The Greens prevailed, ”says the former party leader of the Bild am Sonntag.

“On the other hand, there is no greater burden on top earners.

Since the FDP has prevailed.

That's what it is - a decent compromise. "

For his part, FDP chairman Christian Lindner defends the increase in the minimum wage to twelve euros: "The one-time exception is justifiable and corresponds to the opinion of the majority of the population," he told the newspaper.

Majority for higher taxes at the top

However, according to a current survey for the ZDF Politbarometer, 75 percent of those questioned would also be in favor of higher taxation on higher incomes.

Even among the FDP supporters, a majority of 52 percent is in favor.

The exploratory paper by the SPD, Greens and FDP states: "We will not introduce any new taxes on assets and will not increase taxes such as income, corporate or value-added tax."

SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans considers a membership decision on a traffic light coalition agreement to be unnecessary, since the SPD already has “overwhelming” approval for this. He also defended the rejection of tax increases for higher earners. The way to the traffic lights is the longest for the FDP and this “everyone at the negotiating table recognized,” he told Bild am Sonntag.

The former finance minister of North Rhine-Westphalia was confident that the traffic light would raise the necessary billions for investments in digitization and climate protection despite compliance with the debt brake: "We will fight tax fraud and money laundering even more, close tax loopholes, but also the credit institution for reconstruction use the opportunities that the debt brake allows us. ”These measures could bring in more than ten billion euros per year for the state budget.

Brinkhaus announces constructive opposition

Union parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus is striving for a "constructive and binding" role in the opposition. “The breaks between the traffic light partners are more than clear. The substantive basis for the traffic light is not stable, ”wrote Brinkhaus on Saturday in a letter to the parliamentary group members, which is available to the German press agency. The Union parliamentary group will now take up its role in the opposition - "constructively and bindingly, without" foaming at the mouth ", but also very determined in pointing out undesirable developments for the country and developing alternatives," said Brinkhaus, who as a possible applicant for the CDU top and thus acted as the successor to party leader Armin Laschet.

The SPD, Greens and FDP had only reached agreement on social issues.

In addition, the proposals are not counter-financed.

A general reference is made to the topic of reducing subsidies.

“This means tax increases for millions of citizens in this country.

The dismantling of "environmentally and climate-damaging subsidies" means nothing other than gasoline price increases, questioning the commuter allowance and higher burdens for farmers ", criticized Brinkhaus.

Claims to the Treasury

Although the division of responsibilities in the coalition negotiations will only be discussed at the end, party friends bring Green leader Robert Habeck and Lindner, as Federal Finance Minister, into discussion. Baden-Württemberg's Green Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz could not imagine anyone better than Habeck in this office, he wrote on Twitter on Saturday. Habeck has "not only prepared thoroughly for this responsible task since yesterday," it continues. “He also gained experience as head of a ministry.” Habeck was Environment Minister in Schleswig-Holstein from 2012 to 2018.

Previously, leading FDP politicians had spoken out in favor of their party leader Lindner as finance minister.

For example, deputy chairman Wolfgang Kubicki made it clear on Saturday that he considered Lindner to be the ideal candidate.

The parliamentary managing director of the FDP parliamentary group, Marco Buschmann, made a similar statement.