Government Pushes for Tax Improvements to Support Sports and Non-Profit Organizations

The government factions of the SPD and the Greens are committed to tax improvements for those involved in sports and non-profit sports organizations. With a joint motion, Red-Green asks the Senate to advocate both raising the flat rate fees for trainers and volunteers and a moderate increase in the maximum permissible membership fees in the federal government (see attachment). The Hamburg Parliament will decide on the application at its meeting on June 21st.

In addition Maryam Blumenthal, sports policy spokeswoman for the Green Group in Hamburg: “The almost 33,000 volunteers in Hamburg who are involved in sport form the backbone of organized sport in our city. As a basketball player and trainer, I experience the great value of voluntary work for clubs and athletes on a daily basis. Without this commitment, no training, no competition and no sports field would work. It is therefore a matter of the heart for me and for us to strengthen voluntary work with this application. A financial upgrade of the work by increasing the flat rate for trainers and volunteers would now be the right signal at the right moment. It is therefore good that we are campaigning for this change with this motion and asking the Senate to take our concerns to Berlin. In order to maintain the current range of sports and to be able to manage our own sports facilities, we also want to ensure that the maximum amount for membership fees, which was last increased in 1998, is moderately increased if necessary. The increased prices and inflation are also having a painful impact on sports clubs. However, it is also clear to us that access to the sports club must of course continue to be possible for everyone, including people on low incomes.”

In addition Juliane Timmerman, sports policy spokeswoman and deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group in Hamburg: “We want to support the many volunteers in Hamburg sports. Your great commitment contributes every day to Hamburg’s diverse sports landscape and makes our metropolis an ‘active city’. Whether in training with children and young people, in guiding seniors: indoor sports, with manual help at the club’s own facilities or taking on responsibility on the board – the opportunities to get involved in sports are as colorful as our society itself. With our application we want to achieve that the allowances for the lump sums for trainers and volunteers are increased to 3,500 euros and 1,000 euros per year respectively. At the same time, after 25 years, it is time to moderately increase the maximum possible membership fee. In particular, clubs with their own facilities must be able to make them fit for the future. It remains important to us that all Hamburgers must continue to have access to non-profit sport. Red-Green is reliably at the side of the sport, which not least underpins the current sports support package at a record level – this gives Hamburg sport sustainable planning security. Our application is now the next important building block to support sport.”