Klingbeil, who is also federal finance minister, expressed confidence on ZDF’s ‘heute journal’ that the implementation of the agreed reforms would succeed. The Bundestag still has to pass the individual projects of the CDU, CSU, and SPD. He acknowledged that there would be political debates and resistance, but stressed: ‘We have fought hard, but we have now also presented a large package on how we can make the country stronger.’
The federal government plans, among other things, an income tax reform that is intended to relieve small and medium incomes. Klingbeil emphasized the need for more growth, a restructuring of the social security systems and the budget, as well as securing employment. ‘We have to set these impulses,’ he said. He appealed to everyone who wants to keep Germany strong not to talk the package down.
Criticism of the plans comes from the Left party and associations, among others. Klingbeil admitted that the SPD had to make compromises, for example on the volume of income tax relief, which is now ten billion euros. ‘You don’t go into a coalition committee and get 100 percent in the end,’ he said. His goal of relieving small and medium incomes had been achieved. As an example of greater fairness, he cited the introduction of a ‘super-rich tax’ on income from 280,000 euros at a rate of 47 percent.
Source: www.zdfheute.de
