Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) has promised employees and companies stable social security contributions and, in view of the planned tax reform, has spoken out against relieving the burden on top earners. "Rising social security contributions are a problem. For employees because they have less money in their pockets, for companies because they have higher wage costs," Klingbeil told Bild am Sonntag. “That's why we need to stabilize the contributions,” he emphasized.
The health and long-term care insurance funds in particular are threatened with a rise in contributions, which can only be financed in the short term with higher subsidies from the budget. According to Klingbeil, this is not a permanent solution: "The finance minister cannot be constantly called and asked for more money. We need structural reforms to keep contributions stable in the long term.
With regard to the planned tax reform of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)-Social Democratic Party (SPD) coalition, Klingbeil spoke out against tax relief for top earners in an interview with "BamS”: "I think it's wrong if people like me receive more tax relief than the cashier in the supermarket. People who earn as much as I do don't need tax relief from the state. I'm concerned about hard-working people with low and middle incomes," the minister added.
The top priority for him when drawing up the budgets for the current and coming year is "that Germany gets back on track for growth and that we secure jobs. To achieve this, we are lowering energy prices and boosting investments with super write-offs." Klingbeil, who is also the leader of the SPD, also announced his intention to reposition his party: The 16.4 percent in the election "was a sign to us that some things have to change. People had the feeling that we cared too much about citizens' income and too little about people in work."
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