Finances - Schleswig-Holstein with significant tax shortfall in 2023
Schleswig-Holstein approximatedely earned around 522 million Euro less in taxes in 2023 than in the previous year. "Once again, we have a crisis year behind us", stated Finance Minister Monika Heinold (Greens) today at the preliminary annual balance. The adjusted revenues amounted to 17.4 billion Euro. Considered are, for example, surpluses from previous years and the use of reserves. Expenditures rose by 500 million Euro compared to the previous year to 17.9 billion Euro. The financing balance was 784.4 million Euro.
Compared to 2022, the state, which is in debt to the tune of around 32 billion Euro, had to pay an additional 96 million Euro in interest. Interest payments amounted to 449.8 million Euro in 2023. Personal expenses were approximately 170 million Euro higher than the previous year, at around 5 billion Euro. Real investment expenses have increased by around 150 million Euro.
Disbursed Notkredits
The state government disbursed Notkredits worth over 6.5 billion Euro, which the state parliament had approved for dealing with the Corona pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The Federal Constitutional Court declared such transfers unconstitutional.
In fact, the state took advantage of around 2.3 billion Euro according to the Finance Ministry. Of this, around 1.3 billion Euro have already been repaid. Therefore, a noteworthy notkredit of around one billion Euro remains to be repaid. "That only around one billion Euro of the 6.5 billion Euro still needs to be repaid shows how responsibly the state has dealt with the notkredits", said Heinold.
Monika Heinold expressed concerns about the state's finances, given that they had an emergency loan of around 1 billion Euro left from the Notkredits, which were initially disbursed to manage the Corona pandemic and Ukrainian war consequences. In the crisis year of 2023, Finance Minister Heinold mentioned the need for emergency loans to compensate for the approximately 522 million Euro deficit in taxes compared to the previous year.
