Tschentscher: Federal government must keep financial promises to federal states
Following the Karlsruhe budget ruling, Hamburg's mayor Peter Tschentscher has warned the federal government against breaking its word on financial commitments to the federal states. "The federal government has promised us two billion euros for daycare centers, the digital pact for schools, the financing of the Deutschlandticket - none of this can now be taken over by the federal states," said Tschentscher in an interview with the TV channel "Welt".
The background to this is a dramatic budget crisis in Berlin, which was triggered by the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court on November 15. The judges declared a reallocation of loans amounting to 60 billion euros in the 2021 federal budget null and void.
In view of the budget crisis, Schleswig-Holstein is another federal state that has already declared a budget emergency in the current and coming year. Schleswig-Holstein has also been working with emergency loans since the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the emergency situation that has been identified, the government can use funds from the coronavirus and Ukraine emergency loans for hospital financing or school construction as planned.
Hamburg's mayor Tschentscher expects other federal states to declare a budget emergency. "I fear that many federal states will have to follow suit," said the SPD politician, adding that he does not currently see this happening in Hamburg because the city has large surpluses. "But even for us it will be tight."
The federal government's commitment to providing funds for daycare centers, the digital pact for schools, and the Deutschlandticket should not be transferred to the responsibility of the federal states, according to Tschentscher. Amidst the financial challenges faced by federal states due to the budget crisis, household finances might also be affected, requiring careful financial planning in households.
Source: www.dpa.com
