Berlin (dts news agency) – The federal government has spent almost 440 billion euros in the past three years to combat the corona pandemic. As the “Welt am Sonntag” reports, citing a statement by the Federal Ministry of Finance for the Bundestag’s budget committee, 66.2 billion euros of this went to economic aid for companies, professional sports clubs and cultural event organisers.
The costs for protective equipment, vaccinations and tests add up to 63.5 billion euros. In third place are budgetary burdens from the Second Corona Tax Assistance Act in the amount of 27.9 billion euros, including the temporary reduction in VAT and the child bonus. Grants to the Employment Agency, with which the federal government shared, among other things, the costs of the short-time work regulation during the Corona period, are estimated at 24.2 billion euros for the years 2020 to 2022, the compensation payments for bed capacities provided in hospitals at 18 .5 billion euros. Additional support payments paid by the countries are not included in the figures.
According to the list, part of the aid flowed back into the federal budget. After emergency aid of 14.1 billion euros was paid out to small companies and the self-employed in the first phase of the 2020 pandemic, largely unchecked, the recipients paid back 1.4 billion euros after checks in the past two years. Included in the total of 439.7 billion euros are not only expenditures for the direct support of citizens, companies and the health sector. Allocations to the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) also appear in the calculation.
After 26.2 billion euros in 2020, another 60 billion euros were shifted to the KTF in 2021. From the Ministry’s point of view, the classification as a corona measure is conclusive. At the end of 2021, the traffic light government argued that the additional KTF funds would be needed for urgently needed investments that could not have taken place during the pandemic. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group is taking legal action against the reallocation of the funds before the Federal Constitutional Court.
The hearing is scheduled for June 21st.
Photo: Box office closed due to Corona, via dts news agency
