Berlin (dpa) – In view of the current problems in the federal budget, Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner is calling for a reform of the debt brake. “The #debt brake is a good idea in terms of sound finances. However, I think its current design is dangerous,” explained the CDU politician on Thursday on the platform X (formerly Twitter) as well as in an interview with the magazine “Stern” like me “I have been saying for a long time that there is a fear that the debt brake will increasingly become a brake on the future.”
Wegner emphasized that he does not want to abolish the debt brake, which prohibits the federal and state governments from adding new liabilities to their budgets, apart from certain exceptions. “I understand the concern about having far too much debt,” his post says. “That’s why I don’t want to delete the debt brake from the constitution, I want to make it future-proof. Loans are only allowed for investments – loans for consumptive spending are taboo.”
Last week, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the reallocation of 60 billion euros in the 2021 federal budget to be null and void. The money was approved as a Corona loan, but was subsequently intended to be used for climate protection and the modernization of the economy. At the same time, the judges decided that the state was not allowed to reserve emergency loans for later years. As a result, billions more are at risk for future projects. As a result of the decision, the 2024 federal budget is on hold for the time being.
After the verdict, there are calls from the ranks of the SPD, the Greens, the Left, the trade unions and also economists to either abolish, suspend or reform the debt brake. The Union positioned itself against it. “At the moment I don’t see that we need to approach the debt brake,” said CDU party leader Friedrich Merz recently on the ARD talk show “Maischberger”.
Wegner, who is also the CDU state chairman in Berlin, sees it differently. “The ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court makes it clear how the current debt brake is an obstacle to investment,” he told “Stern” and spoke of “mega-needs” for example in climate protection, transport routes, schools, social infrastructure or the restructuring of the energy supply. “Without investment, not only will our roads, rails and schools crumble, without investment the future of our country will crumble.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:231123-99-52715/2
2023-11-23 13:07:07
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