(Manager Magazin) Schäuble interview


Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) can once again significantly increase his financial cushion in billions. Last year, the federal government achieved a budget surplus "in single-digit billions". The exact amount is to be announced this Thursday. In the coalition there are different ideas, what should happen with the additional billions. The call for relief to citizens through tax cuts is getting louder . But also the left, the green and the associations make suggestions as to how the money should be used best.

The coalition partner also calls for tax reductions. "With his reimbursement fetish, Mr. Schäuble has strangled urgently needed investments in the future of our country," said SPD General Secretary Katarina Barley. Schäuble was to provide money to rehabilitate bizarre schools and bridging bridges as well as expand the fast Internet in the country. "It is completely insane to grow the rehabilitation and investment stagnation," said Barley. This course of Schäuble and the Union would cost the citizens dearly.

In fact, the surplus would have to flow into the already established reserve of almost 13 billion euros for the financing of the refugee costs. At the end of 2015, Schäuble had a budget surplus of 12.8 billion euros reserved to use 2016 and 2017 around 6.1 billion and 6.7 billion euros respectively for the integration of the refugees. Most of the reserves did not have to be used - also because of the markedly reduced number of refugees.

A lot of money flows back from the refugee costs reserve

In view of the still higher financial pressure, budgetists of the coalition are also likely to make the effort to speed up the repayment of old debts. Especially after 2017 some billions of holes have to be stuffed in the Federal Council. Union and the SPD had already prevailed that a portion of the Bundesbank's profits could again be used to repay debts and no longer flow into the refugee reserve.

SPD budget politician Johannes Kahrs called for tax reductions in the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" as well as more funds for investments. The Union's budgetary spokesman, Eckhardt Rehberg (CDU), said that the refugee reserve should not be too high, "and we should also pay off debt as much as possible".

SPD and FDP demand tax cuts

Left-chef Katja Kipping spoke out to invest the surplus in the fight against child poverty. The 6.2 million kitas and school children in Germany would be fed up too often with inferior food or would not get anything to eat. The Green Budget expert Sven-Christian Kindler sees additional room for investment in climate protection, social housing and good education. From the perspective of taxpayers, citizens and businesses must be relieved. An important signal would therefore be the immediate entry into the exit from the solidarity surcharge.

At the end of November, the Cabinet had adopted a supplementary budget for 2016, which is still in the parliamentary deliberations. In this way, the Confederation is halving the restructuring program for poor schools in financially disadvantaged municipalities by a further EUR 3.5 billion. This is financed through savings in interest costs for previous loans. Total expenditures in the federal budget of 2016 should remain constant at EUR 316.9 billion.

Old debts have already been eradicated, such as the investment and redemption fund launched in the global financial and economic crisis (ITF). At the end of November 2016, this fund had a debt of EUR 18.738 billion, compared to EUR 21.022 billion at the end of 2015. The Bundeshaushalt was not impacted by this limited-term special fund. He was financed through new debts and received his own credit authorization.