Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has defended the € 60 billion supplementary budget for 2021 against loud criticism. "It's about the way out of the crisis," said the FDP chairman on
Thursday in the Bundestag. Many investments failed in the coronavirus crisis. This must now be made up for. The opposition, on the other hand, spoke of sleight of hand in parliament because corona loans
are to be parked
in the climate fund for later investments
. "That is the ax on the debt brake," said the CDU politician Helge Braun, the new chairman of the budget committee.
The Bundestag is to pass the supplementary budget in January.
Germany should not lose any more time in the transformation of the economy towards climate neutrality, said Lindner at the first budget consultation.
"We need
the courage to set out."
According to Lindner, the next few years will be about a balancing act between more investments in climate protection and digitization, but also to comply with the debt brake again from 2023.
“Both are
binding
for the federal government
.” The SPD budget expert Dennis Rohde said that the traffic light coalition made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP must act now, otherwise much higher costs would arise later.
In addition, the upswing would be in jeopardy.
The pandemic is not
over
yet
.
"We will not save on health protection."
"These are booking tricks"
The Union had already announced a constitutional complaint against the supplementary budget this week. In an internal letter from CDU finance politicians to their own parliamentary group, it says that the traffic light opens up new sources of money
and thus creates loopholes for more debt. “This violates the spirit and intention of the debt brake. The proposed budget structures ultimately conceal the real financial impact on the federal budget and
overall debt. "
Christian Haase, one of the authors of the letter available to Reuters, called on Lindner in the Bundestag to withdraw the supplementary budget. The CDU politician spoke of sleight of hand. Corona loans would simply be turned into
climate loans that had nothing to do with the pandemic. “I think the supplementary budget is unconstitutional.” The AfD argued in a similar way, accusing the FDP of having
broken
its promise of serious budgetary policy after just a few days in office
and of violating the constitution.
"These are booking tricks," says AfD budget expert Peter Boehringer.
The total new debt of 240 billion euros planned for 2021 was planned exclusively for the
fight against corona.
The left called for a wealth tax to be introduced for the richest 0.7 percent in the country.
Then the supplementary budget, which is still larger than the defense budget, would not be necessary at all.