Differences of opinion among politicians are evident in tax policy.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin The chancellor and his ministers tried to spread a good mood. There is “good cooperation” in the government, said Olaf Scholz (SPD), and the “hard work is being done together and in solidarity”.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) spoke of “36 special hours” after the cabinet meeting in Meseberg. They also had “a good laugh”, as Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) added.
In fact, Scholz, Habeck and Lindner agreed on many topics, which they reported on after the exam at a joint press conference in front of Meseberg Castle, the guest house of the federal government. They equally welcomed the new package of sanctions against Russia, which also includes an oil embargo.
When it came to one question, however, there were clear differences between Habeck and Lindner. The Green Economics Minister is toying with the idea of additionally taxing lavish non-recurring profits made by companies, for example as a result of higher energy prices.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
The “skimming off of excess profits” remains an important topic and is still on the agenda, said Habeck. “We are still working on concepts”, but the implementation is difficult, the Minister for Economic Affairs said.
Linder warns against Habeck’s idea
From Lindner’s point of view, this is a gross understatement. The liberal Finance Minister not only considers the idea difficult to implement, but potentially harmful. He would like to “warn” about the idea of an excess profit tax, Lindner reacted to Habeck’s statements.
>> Read here: Von der Leyen wants a “complete import ban” on Russian oil
Delimitation of such special profits is difficult. That is why such concepts have not been implemented in the past, emphasized the finance minister.
Lindner made his concerns clear with an example that was clearly aimed at Habeck and the Greens: The operators of wind farms are currently making higher profits because of the increased electricity prices, according to the finance minister.
The Minister of Finance warns of Habeck’s proposal.
(Photo: AP)
However, since the federal government wants companies to build more wind turbines, an additional burden makes little sense from Lindner’s point of view. After all, companies should invest their profits in new plants.
From the finance minister’s point of view, the situation is similar in a second example: the semiconductor manufacturers are currently also making high profits because of the bottlenecks. However, this is precisely an incentive to increase production capacities in Europe, which is also an explicit political wish in order to become less dependent on China. “Taking off taxes could reduce investment incentives,” warned Lindner.
Greens have been campaigning for a special tax for a few days
The Greens have been promoting the idea of a special tax for a few days. Party leader Ricarda Lang said on Monday after a meeting of the party executive: “If it is obvious that some corporations are knowingly and above all making excessive profits from the horror of this war, then we should introduce an excess profit tax that actively counteracts exactly that.”
The tax would ensure “that they also participate financially, that we all get through this crisis well and, above all, with greater cohesion”.
The Greens have been promoting the idea of a special tax for a few days.
(Photo: IMAGO/Future Image)
The Greens had already pushed for an excess profit tax during the corona pandemic. However, the FDP had pushed through the waiver of tax increases in the coalition negotiations.
However, the Greens believe that all parties must move in the face of the war and its aftermath. “We are experiencing a new era, which means that there shouldn’t be any bans on thinking in this turning point,” said Lang.
More: Ukraine crisis – the chancellor and the accusation of zigzagging