Monday, October 18, 2021
Billions for funding
Minimum tax should feed traffic light program
The exploratory paper by the SPD, FDP and the Greens has been criticized. Because experts are wondering how the possible traffic light coalition wants to finance their projects. SPD General Secretary Klingbeil suggests two other sources of funding in addition to the income from the minimum tax.
The general secretary of the SPD, Lars Klingbeil, sees several sources of funding for the projects described in the exploratory paper by the SPD, FDP and the Greens. “We were very clear in these talks, we want to enable future investments,” said Klingbeil in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”. Klingbeil specifically mentioned digitization, climate protection and the modernization of the state.
The money for the project comes from three sources. “We already have money in the public purse, there will be more,” said Klingbeil. The new global minimum tax would make “almost six billion” additional euros available over the next few years. In addition, the traffic light coalition will also stimulate private investments more strongly.
Investments are also to be further strengthened by accelerating planning and removing obstacles. “The point now is to make the coalition negotiations concrete,” said Klingbeil. Klingbeil did not want to comment on personal details and the possible departmental layout. If, as expected, the FDP was the last of the three traffic light parties to agree to the coalition negotiations, everything else would go “very quickly,” said Klingbeil.
For Wissing, failure is “not an option”
FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing has meanwhile expressed confidence that coalition negotiations with the SPD and the Greens will succeed. When asked about a possible failure, Wissing said on the broadcaster NDR Info: “This is not an option for us.” You need a stable federal government. “And while we were having the talks, you also saw that alternative options to the traffic light are becoming increasingly unlikely.” He is confident “that we can do it”.
The FDP wants to decide whether to start coalition negotiations with the SPD and the Greens for a new German government. The other two parties have already agreed. Wissing described discussions about possible appointments in a traffic light government as premature at the present time.
“Of course, in the end, when coalition negotiations have been concluded, departmental issues also have to be clarified,” he said. “But I think it is not only premature to address them now, but also not very helpful, because it distracts from the questions of content.” Personnel debates “quickly overran the political talks”. That doesn’t help anyone now. FDP leader Christian Lindner had previously spoken out against public debates about ministerial posts, but at the same time signaled interest in the key finance department.