Bavaria alone finances more than half of the financial power balance between the federal states.

In 2022, the Free State had to forego almost 9.9 billion euros so that financially weak countries can offer their residents comparable living conditions.

According to FAZ information, the largest recipient country is Berlin, as in previous years.

The capital received 3.6 billion euros.

Saxony follows with 3.3 billion euros.

The system is essentially supported by four countries.

After Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg (almost 4.5 billion euros) and Hesse (almost 3.3 billion euros) contribute the most funds.

Hamburg is involved with 800 million euros.

In addition, Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the donor countries - albeit by a wide margin.

Around 100 million euros come from Mainz.

Rhineland-Palatinate was one of the recipient countries for a long time.

It then switched sides last year.

The Mainz-based vaccine manufacturer Biontech is making significant profits during the pandemic.

This has an effect on the equalization of financial power.

Criticism of imbalance

A total of around 18.5 billion euros were shifted between financially strong and financially weak countries via the equalization system last year.

The state government in Munich has long seen itself cheated.

"Bavaria supports solidarity, but solidarity and personal responsibility must be balanced," said Bavaria's Finance Minister Albert Füracker (CSU).

This balance dwindles massively when financial power is equalised.

It can't go on like this.

"We are therefore examining all the political and legal options available to us," said the CSU politician.

"A possible lawsuit before the Federal Constitutional Court is already being prepared." Most recently, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) confirmed this intention at the Bundestag-CSU retreat in Seeon.

The Bavarian state government had already complained in the old state financial equalization that the Free State had to pay too much.

The successor plan came into effect at the beginning of 2020.

The goal has remained the same: leveling out differences in financial strength.

The result is appropriate.

If Bavaria had a financial strength of 122 percent before the redistribution procedure, it was 108 percent at the end.

Since the federal government is still injecting funds into the system, the average for the federal states after redistribution is 102 percent.

Before the compensation, the capital had a financial strength of 78.5 percent.

This then became 98.2 percent.

In the case of the Saxons, 75.7 percent even became 100.2 percent.

So the goal is achieved, differences are leveled out.

After redistribution, the four major donor countries remain the financially strongest, even in the same order.

Only Rheinpfalz-Pfalz is passed through in the system.

The particularly financially weak East German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania benefit greatly from supplementary federal funds, while the financially stronger Brandenburg does not.