The Federal Minister of Finance wants to give taxpayers more time.
(Photo: AP)
Berlin The traffic light coalition wants to expand tax breaks that were introduced in the wake of the corona crisis. According to this, corona bonuses for employees in care, in hospitals and practices should remain tax-free up to an amount of 4500 euros. In addition, taxpayers should have more time to submit their tax returns.
This emerges from amendments by the traffic light groups from the SPD, Greens and FDP for the fourth Corona Tax Assistance Act, which was first presented in mid-February and is to be passed in the Bundestag on Thursday.
The draft law from mid-February already provided for an extension of the deadline. “In the course of the parliamentary deliberations in the Bundestag, the coalition partners have now upped the ante here,” says finance scientist Frank Hechtner from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. For taxpayers who seek the help of tax advisors, the deadline for filing tax returns is to be extended by six months for 2020 and 2021 and by five months for 2022.
Instead of the end of February 2023, the tax return for the past year does not have to be submitted until the end of August 2023. From the year 2025 we want to return to normality.
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The deadline for taxpayers without a tax advisor is also to be extended – by three months for 2020 and 2021, two months for 2022 and one month for 2023. Taxpayers without a tax advisor must therefore submit their declaration for the past year by the end of October.
A higher exempt amount is intended to help above all in nursing and medical professions
According to the application, the planned higher tax-free amount for corona bonuses is chosen in such a way that “in particular, benefits under the Care Bonus Act and additional services based on the collective agreement of the federal states on one-time special corona payments are fully favoured”. The total relief amounts to 400 million euros.
The federal government is providing corona bonuses totaling one billion euros for employees in hospitals and care facilities, which are to be paid out in the summer.
According to the amendment, however, employees in facilities for outpatient surgery, dialysis facilities, medical and dental practices and emergency services should also benefit from the higher tax-free amount.