Finances - Kühnert: Criticism of budget package "in principle normal"
SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert has defended the federal government's budget package and described criticism of the austerity measures as "in principle normal". After all, it is the Bundestag and not the federal government, which makes the proposals, that ultimately has to approve the budget - with amendments if necessary, Kühnert said on ARD's "Tagesthemen" program. It is also normal for interest groups such as "organized farmers" to express their dissatisfaction.
With outraged protests and a long line of tractors, thousands of farmers in Berlin on Monday took a stand against the planned end to tax breaks. The plans would burden the industry with an additional one billion euros per year.
Kühnert emphasized that the SPD also had to swallow some "bitter pills". "But we are supporting this as part of an overall compromise, and I appeal to everyone else to do the same." Anyone who wanted to change something in the package would have to save the money elsewhere. However, his party is also prepared to talk again in principle about suspending the debt brake once more.
The discussion was triggered by savings plans for the 2024 federal budget, which became known following an agreement between Chancellor Olaf Scholz(SPD), Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP). The savings had become necessary in various areas of the budget because the Federal Constitutional Court had overturned several previous budget management practices.
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Source: www.stern.de
