Society - Survey: majority in favor of wealth tax
A majority of people in Germany are in favor of reintroducing the wealth tax. This is according to a Forsa survey for "Stern." Sixty-two percent of citizens would approve if private individuals and corporations had to pay such a tax on wealth above one million Euros. Thirty-four percent are against it.
The proposal is particularly well-received among Green Party supporters (84%). But even among SPD and Sahra Wagenknecht alliance supporters (79% and 58% respectively), there is significant support for this idea. Surprisingly, a majority (55%) of Union (CDU/CSU) supporters also support such a plan. However, the CDU and CSU are against a wealth tax. According to their joint election program, a wealth tax would "endanger the economic substance of Germany and cost jobs."
Clear rejection from FDP and AfD voters
However, a possible reintroduction of a wealth tax faces clear rejection from FDP voters (78%) and AfD voters (62%). The data was collected from a total of 1,008 interviewees.
The wealth tax is being demanded, among others, by the Social Welfare Germany organization. "Germany doesn't have a spending problem, we have a revenue problem," says the chairwoman Michaela Engelmeier. "The rich" should therefore be taxed more heavily.
The wealth tax has not been collected in Germany since 1997, following a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. The possibility of reintroducing it is a topic of ongoing debate in politics. During the coalition negotiations in 2021, SPD and Greens expressed their support for it, while the FDP rejected tax increases. The high cost of assessing assets is considered a major issue.
- Despite the FDP and AfD's opposition, a significant number of their voters (78% and 62%, respectively) are against the re-introduction of the wealth tax, according to the Forsa survey.
- The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, the SPD, and a majority of Union (CDU/CSU) supporters also support the idea of reintroducing a wealth tax, with 58%, 79%, and 55% approval rates, respectively.
- The Social Welfare Germany organization, led by chairwoman Michaela Engelmeier, is among those demanding the reintroduction of the wealth tax, arguing that Germany has a revenue problem, not a spending one.
- The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, together with the SPD, pushed for the reintroduction of the wealth tax during the coalition negotiations in 2021, but the FDP rejected any tax increases.
- The high cost of assessing assets is considered one of the major issues with reintroducing the wealth tax in Germany, a problem that has prevented its collection since 1997, following a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court.
- In Hamburg, a number of political figures, including some from the CDU, have voiced support for the reintroduction of the property tax, a form of wealth tax, to address the city's finances.
- The AfD, in contrast, has consistently opposed any form of wealth tax, arguing that it would negatively impact Germany's economy and job market.
