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On the evening after the federal-state conference, in which a step-by-step plan to relax the corona measures was decided, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) sits with Markus Lanz.

Sure, what the moderator first wants to know from the Social Democrats' candidate for Chancellor on Thursday evening: During the consultations with Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) he got into a dispute about the financing of a hardship fund for companies.

What was going on, does Lanz want to experience firsthand again?

“What was Söder so upset about?” He asks.

Scholz just shrugs his shoulders: “Do I know?” He asks back and smiles smugly.

Lanz uses that and asks further: “That 'smurfy grin', what kind of facial expression is that, I asked myself.

Is that what we are currently seeing? ”According to participants, Söder said on Wednesday in the direction of the Vice Chancellor that he should“ not grin like that ”.

Scholz takes it with humor in the TV talk: “I don't know, others can judge that.” But he thinks about the Smurfs, that's great.

"They are small, cunning and always win - Gargamel loses." Gargamel is the enemy of the Smurfs and wants to destroy them.

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Lanz doesn't give up again: “And Söder is Gargamel now?” He adds.

Again Scholz only replies “Do I know?” - including a smug grin.

When Scholz then drops this sentence again, the Schlumpf topic is basically over.

Lanz asks if the new CDU leader Armin Laschet weren't more his opponent than Söder.

“Do I know?” Says Scholz.

This time without a smile.

He “doesn't really care” who his competitor will be in the race to succeed Angela Merkel (CDU) in the Chancellery.

When it comes to vaccination, Scholz gets emotional

Later in the show, Scholz gets emotional when it comes to the vaccinations, which Germany has so far been very slow in international comparison.

Scholz admits that with today's knowledge of vaccine procurement, things should have gone differently - you should have ordered more earlier.

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Now, however, the challenge with vaccination is completely different.

In a few weeks, millions of vaccine doses could be inoculated per week, emphasizes Scholz.

"The peak will be at ten million vaccine doses per week," said Scholz.

He does not want to see a situation now come in which there are significantly more doses, but one does not manage to impose all of them.

But he is "confident" that it will not come to that.

Finally, Lanz asked Scholz again about his ambitions as a candidate for chancellor.

For example, Lanz wants to know what will be more important to Scholz in coalition negotiations.

“Tempo 130 or tax increases?” Scholz evades.

Completely different topics are important to him.

Lanz insists - and the SPD candidate for chancellor is even more specific: “We are in favor of those who earn a lot of money pay a little more taxes - and those who have a normal, good income, a medium, low income , be relieved. ”In addition, those who“ have tens of millions to bequeath could pay a little more taxes ”.

And the reintroduction of the wealth tax must be considered.

Furthermore, equity funds should pay taxes when they buy shares - just as citizens have to do when buying bread rolls.

And the big digital corporations should finally pay taxes too.

Scholz is certain: the costs of the pandemic will not be able to be met without a “fair tax system” - by which he means tax increases.