Should the municipality of Gröbenzell increase its commercial tax? Political bodies have been discussing it for some years to no avail. SPD and Verdi, who are outnumbered, want to increase the rate, which is currently 330 points, while CSU and UWG are against. Now the Municipality’s Economic Development Agency has presented a non-representative survey of local businesses on this issue. According to the idea, it should serve as a decision aid. But when it was presented to the city council, it was heavily criticized. And on the other hand, the results are interpreted very differently.
The company survey lasted two weeks in September. As business promoter Raphael Morhard explains, it was put online due to time constraints and only companies whose addresses were available were contacted. There were a total of 497, or about a fifth of the companies registered locally. According to Morhard, 146 questionnaires could be used from the responses: such a 29 percent return rate is “very good,” he points out. When asked the crucial question about a possible trade tax hike, 22% said they would consider relocating, 17% were forced to. “This is questionable value,” says Morhard. Mayor Martin Schäfer (UWG), who also hails from the private sector, is surprised that 25 companies are already considering relocating.
SPD parliamentary leader Peter Falk, who had called for a trade tax rate of 385 during budget deliberations, interprets the figures very differently. The longtime former financier points out that the survey was anonymous and therefore it is not possible to understand the amount of taxes that respondents pay to the municipality. Since not all, and too few companies have been written, “I don’t see the significance of this given survey”. However, he quotes from the results: “I am surprised that 20 percent want to pay more taxes.”
Because this was also the result of the survey: 16 percent were in favor of an increase in the evaluation rate, but only half of the participants answered this question. And due to anonymity, no one can tell if this 16 percent pays commercial taxes.
The criticism of Walter Voit also goes in this direction. The Green wants to know how the business developer made his choice and says, “I’m sorry, but this job isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.” Outraged from the CSU and UWG factions, someone shouts “Insolence” https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/fuerstenfeldbruck/ “It’s hard to draw conclusions from this,” agrees Daniel Holmer. The spokesman for the parliamentary group of the Greens, who always tries to dampen the charged atmosphere in the city council, explains: “I see a picture of humor in it.”
“I think the atmosphere is relevant,” says Wolfgang Netschert. He thanks Morhard for his work, as well as many of his colleagues from the CSU parliamentary group and members of the UWG after him, simply trying to create a better atmosphere. Because the Greens and the SPD had partly criticized the poll rather harshly.
Commercial consultant Netschert speaks out against an increase in the trade tax, which is currently on par with Hattenhofen. A look beyond the district boundary also shows that, for example, Bergkirchen with the Gada industrial park right next to the A8 junction has a multiplier of 300. “Gröbenzell does not have an industrial park,” explains Michael Jaumann, hence the opportunities for development for local companies are consequently limited. Netschert’s predecessor and fellow parliamentarian in the CSU expressed concern that if a company moved, jobs in Gröbenzell would also disappear. He also explains to Spd and Verdi: “Some of the requests to speak here are a mess.”
Finally, Cornelia Aicher-Leonbacher (FW) called for an end to the debate. Because the survey should only be noted. A city council decision is no longer required tonight. And the motion is passed unanimously.
