The representative online survey by market research firm Ipsos shows: 32 percent of respondents find the proposals tend to be right, 20 percent consider them fundamentally wrong, and 18 percent rather wrong. “Approval and skepticism are balanced,” the researchers write. The reform plans split the country.
Rejection is particularly strong at the political fringes. Only one percent of AfD sympathizers fully support the reform course, while more than one in three in this group sees the plans as clear steps in the wrong direction. Among supporters of the Union and SPD, approval is highest at nearly 70 and nearly 60 percent, respectively.
The skepticism is not unfounded: An analysis by the Ifo Institute shows that the income tax reform, which is to take effect in early 2027, will bring little growth impetus. “The income tax reform is more of a compensation than a fresh start,” commented Ifo Clemens Fuest. The reform, which is intended to relieve people by ten billion euros, primarily offsets cold progression.
Source: www.faz.net
