Finance Minister Christian Lindner has defended his federal budget for the coming year.
He envisages record relief and record investments, said the FDP politician on Friday in the final round of budget deliberations in the Bundestag.
"We are mastering the crisis, but we are not neglecting the future tasks of this country."
Not a sure-fire success
Among other things, help for families and people in need is provided, emphasized Lindner.
However, social justice is not only measured by the fact that these people are not left alone.
It is also about "fairness towards those who carry this country with their work and pay high taxes and duties".
For this reason, the effects of high inflation would be offset in income tax.
As a result, 48 million citizens will have to pay fewer taxes in the coming year.
The return to the debt brake is not a sure-fire success, said Lindner.
The federal government shouldn't boast too much about it either, he conceded.
Because there is an enormous deficit across the state, partly due to the special program with 200 billion euros in loans to finance the energy price brakes.
Against this background, the budget for 2024 will be much more complicated than that for 2023. There will then no longer be any significant reserves that can be touched.
“Budget 2024 will be even more challenging than this one.
So we have no alternative: we have to remain courageous,” emphasized Lindner.