CDU boss Friedrich Merz has expressed doubts as to whether, as in the coalition agreement, there is actually an income tax relief in the middle of the legislative period for recipients for small and medium-sized incomes. This is “not fixed,” he told the newspaper “Bild am Sonntag”. Merz pointed out that the Union would have liked to make the tax cut with the Social Democrats “from the start”, but there was a dissent. “That’s why we left it open.” Merz continued: “We reduce corporate taxation. This is correct so that the companies in Germany will re -invest. And we want to reduce income tax if the public budget has.” Merz’s statements are noteworthy because it says in the coalition agreement: “We will reduce income tax for small and medium -sized income to the middle of the legislature.” The coalition agreement also contains the sentence that all projects would be subject to financing. SPD boss Lars Klingbeil said at the performance on Wednesday that there were definitely priorities. According to his presentation, the projects initiated in the contract with “We will” will come, while for the projects initiated with “We want”, financing still has to be found. Klingbeil is considered a possible next finance minister. SPD will only indirectly respond to the question of how the planned income tax reform is still on Sunday. “The SPD stands by its word: performance has to be worthwhile – for the hard -working center, not only for a few,” said the deputy parliamentary group leader Dagmar Schmidt. What she also said: There should be “no tax gifts for top earners”. The background is that the SPD in the coalition negotiations had said to be urged to increase taxes for recipients and inheritance. The Union, on the other hand, had excluded tax increases. How this apparently further existing conflict is to be dissolved remains open. External content activate economists observe the disagreements with concern. “Tax reductions would be extremely important to increase the attractiveness of the location,” said expert council member Veronika Grimm of FAZ many small and medium -sized companies underlay income tax. Improved depreciation options are attractive, “but they do not replace tax cuts”. In general, everything would go too slowly. “In the expectation of these tax cuts, no one will certainly come to Germany,” said Grimm. Criticism also came from the Greens. “No relief for income tax, higher wage inconsistencies, no climate field,” criticized parliamentary group vice Andreas Audretsch. “The middle class will pay.” The Greens politician sees the responsibility for this with Friedrich Merz, who “continues to displace the country’s realities”. Like the SPD, the Greens had demanded higher taxes and social security contributions for people with high income and assets in the election campaign. In the Minimum wage, CDU boss Merz said in the newspaper interview: “There will be no legal automatism.” The minimum wage could be the 15 euros in early 2026, or later. “This remains the task of the minimum wage commission to determine this in its own autonomy.” SPD politician Dagmar Schmidt, on the other hand, keeps: “In the coalition agreement, we have clearly anchored the orientation on the European minimum wage destination, i.e. 60 percent of the median wages. This paves the way: the minimum wage will develop dynamically by 2026 towards 15 euros.”
