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Long before the new left-wing boss, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, speaks for the first time in the ZDF talk with Markus Lanz on Wednesday evening, she is nervously tugging at her top.
Perhaps she already suspects that she will not seem ideally prepared for some of the moderator's questions?
In any case, Lanz eventually decides to let Hennig-Wellsow indulge in dreams: “What kind of country would it be or what kind of financial system would it be if you were Chancellor tomorrow?
Or finance minister? ”He asks - and specifically:“ What would the top tax rate look like? ”
The party leader of the left evades for now - gain time to think about it: "First of all, it would be really nice if I were Chancellor tomorrow," says Hennig-Wellsow and has to laugh himself.
Lanz replies: “Yes, maybe.
I'm not sure yet. "
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Finally, the left lets hear a number: a wealth tax would begin with it "at one million euros with five percent".
In addition, her party is discussing a one-off property levy.
Lanz insists that he wants to understand that now.
He wanted to know from Hennig-Wellsow what their top tax rate would be.
She first has to ask: “That’s at ... 42 percent at the moment?” - “Yes, plus three,” explains Lanz.
The politician continues to look at him rather questioningly, but says: “Yes, plus three, exactly.” And then she continues to flounder.
She would “raise it a bit”, she says.
“You could do 50 percent.” And: “I am not in favor of 100 percent taxes now, as we have already called for it in our party,” she adds, almost patronizingly.
“That's the way it is,” replies Hennig-Wellsow Lanz
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Lanz does not give up again: “50 percent plus solos?
Or what's on top? ”Hennig-Wellsow tugs his pants and crosses his legs.
Then she says: “The fact that there is a complex tax system that we have to rebuild is the way it is.
That we have to talk about the state's income situation is also the case. ”At least that evening she no longer explains why that“ is so ”.
Lanz wants to go into more detail: "From what income does the top tax rate apply?"
“That means that those who are now in the middle class pay a little more.
And you have to attack that a bit.
That will be a negotiation situation. "
Did Lanz understand exactly what Hennig-Wellsow had just said?
For free.
He continues: “What do you have on your mind?
Just say a number. ”The left boss then reveals that she wants to introduce the top tax rate from an annual income of 80,000 euros.
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There comes, says Lanz, their wealth tax on top of that when someone has a million euros.
“How do you calculate this wealth?” Asks the moderator.
“Is that the little house that someone has on the outskirts?
Is that the picture you have on the wall?
Are those stocks, is that the savings account at the savings bank, car?
What is it?"
In the end, that is “all that can be credited in terms of assets,” answers Hennig-Wellsow.
This could be real estate, stocks, savings or income, for example.
Lanz becomes more specific with an example: Someone who years ago bought a house in the Munich region for 250,000 marks, which is now worth more than one million euros, has to pay wealth tax?
There must be a “grandfathering”, says the left-wing politician.
Lanz counters: “You just said that wealth is everything.” - “I know what I said,” replied the party leader.
"Can be anything, I said." That is always a "story of negotiation".
"I don't have that in my head now"
Because she cannot or does not want to correctly explain how assets are composed from her point of view, Hennig-Wellsow withdraws a new tax shortly afterwards: What is often "forgotten" in real estate is inheritance tax.
“There are those too?” Asks Lanz.
“Yes, of course,” comes back.
Lanz: "How high would it be?"
Hennig-Wellsow: "I don't have that in my head now."
The party is still arguing about this.
What they actually want: the “one-time property levy”.
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Lanz wants details again.
He understood it this way: from two million euros in assets, ten percent would have to be paid into the state treasury once.
"And that increases then - can you explain in which steps?" Asks the moderator.
“That then increases in percentage terms,” begins the left front woman.
At least it stays with the "two percent".
- "Stick with the ten percent," Lanz corrects the slip of the tongue and can't help but steal a gag: "Not that I know your program better than you do."
Hennig-Wellsow laughs the joke away at their expense - and tries to evade.
But Lanz won't let her.
At some point, he has it in mind, the one-time fee will rise to 30 percent.
“When?” He asks.
The politician takes a sip.
“I think I have ten million in my head.” Lanz looks incredulous.
You think that's appropriate, says the left boss succinctly.