Educational institutions - Classroom tax filing experiment underway in Freiburg
"What's the process for completing an online tax form after a summer job?" is one of many queries being answered by the government's pilot project "Tax Makes School", designed by the Ministry of Culture. Bianca Schlatterer and Lars Tisarzik from the Freiburg Tax Office educated approximately 20 high school students aged around 16 to 18 last Thursday.
While the initial program is limited to the southern Baden region, a national version is planned to launch next year. According to Bernd Bleile, the training officer at Oberfinanzdirektion Karlsruhe, there are currently more than 75 registrations.
Some students were astonished to learn that work clothes could be deducted from their taxes during the hour-and-a-half session. A 17-year-old school attendee said, "I hope that other students can benefit from this training too."
The state's largest student body has demanded more day-to-day education in schools for several months now. In a statement made in September, former head of the State Student Council, Berat Gürbuz, emphasized the importance of discussing taxation, insurance, or rental law in schools at least once a week.
Gürbuz explained that many students do not receive this information at home. The scheduled time for personal finance education should be taken away from other classes like religious or ethical studies, according to the council's viewpoint.
Culture Minister Theresa Schopper (Greens) stated recently, in connection with the Freiburg experiment, that consumer education would be integrated into the school curriculum. Experts from tax offices will make the complex theory more relatable to students.
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This year, the Freiburg experiment involves teaching high school students about tax returns, which can help them understand how to manage their taxes better in the future. In Baden-Württemberg, schools are encouraged to incorporate tax education into their curriculum, aligning with the Ministry of Culture's initiative. In contrast, schools in Fribourg, Switzerland, may not have such a tax-focused program façonnée.
