Paying more in the restaurant: state finances benefit

Parliament - Paying more in the restaurant: state finances benefit

The increase in VAT in the catering sector from 7 to 19 percent in January, which was decided by the traffic light coalition, could provide additional revenue for the Thuringian state coffers. Finance Minister Heike Taubert (SPD) said in the state parliament in Erfurt on Wednesday that around 35 million euros of the approximately 3.5 billion euros in additional revenue expected by the federal government would come to Thuringia. She regretted that the federal states had not taken a uniform approach to the issue of VAT in the catering sector.

In Thuringia, members of the government, including Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD), had spoken out against the increase in VAT - including the state parliament. The opposition CDU parliamentary group put the issue back on the state parliament's agenda.

CDU parliamentary group leader Mario Voigt pointed out, among other things, that the tax increase would also make meals for children in schools and daycare centers more expensive. "The 7 percent must remain," he demanded. In addition, more restaurants would be brought to the brink of their existence. Voigt called the increase in VAT in the catering sector an "economic stimulus program for political disenchantment." The Left Party MP Knut Korschewsky accused Voigt of populism - Minister President Bodo Ramelow (Left Party) had acted and the state parliament had already voted against it weeks ago. "The federal government decided differently," said Korschewsky.

The managing director of the Thuringian Hotel and Restaurant Association, Dirk Ellinger, feared that around five percent of businesses would have to close. At the moment, there are just under 4,000 catering businesses in the state. "This will unfortunately lead to a further decline in pubs. And especially in rural areas," Ellinger recently explained.

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1. The opposition CDU in Thuringia's state parliament, led by Mario Voigt, opposed the increase in VAT in the hospitality industry, arguing that it could lead to higher costs for meals in schools and daycare centers.
2. According to Finance Minister Heike Taubert, Thuringia could potentially receive around 35 million euros from the additional revenue generated by the increased VAT in the catering sector, as decided by the federal traffic light coalition.
3. Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) and other government members in Thuringia expressed concerns about the VAT increase in the state parliament, but the issue was later brought back to the agenda by the CDU parliamentary group.
4. Dirk Ellinger, the managing director of the Thuringian Hotel and Restaurant Association, expressed fears that around five percent of businesses in the catering sector could close due to the VAT increase, leading to a further decline in pubs, especially in rural areas.
5. Mario Voigt, the CDU parliamentary group leader, described the increase in VAT in the catering sector as an "economic stimulus program for political disenchantment," drawing criticism from the Left Party MP Knut Korschewsky for using populist language.
6. Heike Taubert regretted that the federal states did not take a uniform approach to the issue of VAT in the catering sector, as the increase could provide additional revenue for Thuringia and other states in Germany.
7. Minster President Bodo Ramelow (Left Party) and the state parliament had previously voted against the increase in VAT in the catering sector, but the federal government decided otherwise, leading to the current situation.

Source: www.stern.de