display
Berlin (dpa) - The corona crisis with lockdown, health care costs and corporate aid is burdening the federal budget much more than expected.
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to incur around 60.4 billion euros more in debt than initially planned in the current year.
According to the Ministry of Finance, he is also planning another new debt of around 81.5 billion euros for the coming year 2022.
"We do not want to gloss over anything, the net borrowing is high," said the Ministry of Finance.
The exception rule of the debt brake anchored in the Basic Law should be used again in the coming year.
But one is optimistic that the effects of the pandemic will no longer be felt so deeply and that the corona aid for the economy will no longer be as high as it is now.
display
Despite the high levels of crisis expenditure and debts, Germany is in a significantly better economic position than many other European countries.
With an estimated 75 percent at the end of the year, they will have the lowest debt ratio of the G7 countries.
According to the information, the supplementary budget for the current year only provides for additional expenses in connection with the pandemic - for example for the Ministry of Health and corporate aid.
In addition, the federal government can no longer expect as high tax revenues as before.
The new debt for 2021 will rise to the record value of 240.2 billion euros.
For the coming year, Scholz is only planning a third of this debt in his key figures.
A budget volume of 419.8 billion euros is planned - less than in the current year, because it is expected that corona aid will no longer be so expensive.
This includes investments of 50 billion euros.
display
In the years up to 2025 thereafter, Scholz continues to plan with new debts - but then within the framework of the debt brake, which allows a low level of new debt.
In addition, saved reserves are to be used up in 2023 and 2024.
Nevertheless, the calculation does not work: The Ministry of Finance shows a so-called need for action of 20.1 billion euros by 2025.
This is basically a gap in the budget: You don't yet know where this money will come from or where it will be saved.
"We would like this to be resolved on the revenue side through cyclical tax revenue or other additional tax revenue," said the ministry.
It is expected that the economy will continue to pick up.
The cabinet should discuss the key figures for the budget for 2022 this Wednesday.
The draft budget that will be drawn up from it should then be passed by the current federal government in the summer.
However, it will then be finally decided by the newly elected Bundestag in autumn.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210322-99-924795 / 2