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The SPD party presidium met on Monday to discuss the draft of the SPD election program, in which the SPD is demanding higher taxes on particularly high incomes and assets.

“The current tax system makes too much use of middle incomes,” says the draft of the AFP.

"We are going to undertake an income tax reform that puts small and medium-sized incomes better off."

In return, “the top five percent should be used more to finance important public tasks”.

In the future, a surcharge of three percentage points to income tax will apply to married people for the taxable income portion over 500,000 euros per year, and to single persons from 250,000 euros per year. 

"We want to put the wealth tax back into force, also in order to improve the financial strength of the states for important future tasks," the draft continues.

A tax rate of one percent should be introduced on “very high assets”.

“At the same time, there will be high personal allowances, so that the tax burden is concentrated on particularly wealthy sections of the population.” The basis of businesses should be spared in the case of wealth tax.

"We ensure that the wealth tax does not endanger jobs."

Hartz IV basic security is to be abolished

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In addition, the SPD leadership wants to put the significant expansion of the welfare state and climate protection at the center of its federal election program.

As can be seen from a draft of the election program that is available to the newspapers of the Funke media group, the SPD party leadership promises to abolish the Hartz IV basic security in its current form and replace it with a citizen's benefit.

This includes duties to cooperate, but consistently rely on help and encouragement.

“We are abolishing senseless and unworthy sanctions,” says the draft from SPD dual leadership Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans and Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz.

He will be discussed in the party executive committee on Monday.

The federal election will take place on September 26th.

In addition, if the government is involved, basic child benefits are to be introduced and child tax allowances abolished.

In addition to free infrastructure for children such as free day-care centers, all-day schools and free travel in local transport, there is to be a new "living child benefit" that combines all previous family benefits and is graded according to the parents' income.

The monthly base amount should be 250 euros per child, the maximum amount 528 euros.

The SPD wants to raise the statutory minimum wage to "at least twelve euros".

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In addition, the SPD leadership relies on climate policy in its election program.

According to the draft, the party wants to accelerate the path to a “climate-neutral Germany” and introduce a speed limit of around 130 kilometers per hour on motorways.

In addition, the Social Democrats are calling for at least 15 million fully electric cars to be on the road by 2030.

The green electricity levy, with which every electricity customer pays for the expansion of renewable energy, should be abolished by 2025, according to the report.

The costs of the levy should then be paid from the federal budget with the income from CO2 taxation.

In addition, the party's goal is to promote solar energy and to equip all suitable roofs of public buildings and new commercial buildings with a photovoltaic system.

"Anyone who receives money from the state has to adhere to certain rules of the game"

Juso boss Kevin Kühnert wants to vote on the abolition of all Hartz IV sanctions at the SPD party congress.

SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil does not think so, as he explains in an interview with WELT.

Source: WELT / Lena Mosel, Carsten Hädler