Parliament - Vogt calls for investment requirement in state constitution
FDP state parliamentary group leader Christopher Vogt has sharply criticized the financial policy of the black-green state government. The coalition must "finally tackle its budget problems seriously", Vogt told the German Press Agency. The necessary consolidation had been postponed until 2024 due to the declaration of a multiple emergency situation.
"In 2024, theCDU and Greens will have to do much more than before to get the state budget back on track," said Vogt. Black-Greens want to save themselves through the year with considerable new debt. The state could not afford the rapidly increasing interest burden in the long term. "Unfortunately, it speaks volumes that the CDU and Greens do not want the report we requested on the sustainability of the state's finances to be compiled until the next electoral term."
Vogt considers a moderate flexibilization of the debt brake, as brought into play by Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner(FDP), to be sensible. "It makes sense to have a little more leeway in difficult economic times in order to compensate for this in better times."
The opposition politician suggested adding an investment requirement to the debt brake in the state constitution. The state should be obliged to invest at least ten or twelve percent of its expenditure in infrastructure every year. "This has the advantage that new debt can no longer be shifted to infrastructure, as was the case under the red-green-blue state government." This may reassure critics of the debt brake, who are primarily concerned about securing investments.
The state does not have a problem with revenue, but with expenditure, said Vogt. "Taxes and levies are already extremely high, so it makes no sense to place an ever greater burden on citizens and the economy." It is more important that private households and the economy remain confident, invest themselves and thus increase tax revenues.
Despite the debt brake, Vogt believes that sufficient investment by the state is possible. "The country needs to focus more on its core tasks again, such as education, security and infrastructure." He also calls for more efforts to reduce bureaucracy. "The excessive bureaucracy not only annoys citizens and the economy, but also leads to more and more work in public administrations that could actually be dispensed with."
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- The FDP in Schleswig-Holstein's state parliament has advocated for a modification of the debt brake, suggesting an investment requirement, as proposed by Federal Finance Minister Christopher Lindner from their party.
- The German Press Agency reported that Christopher Vogt, leader of the FDP state parliamentary group, criticized the current black-green state government for not addressing its budget issues promptly.
- According to Vogt, the CDU and Greens, forming the state government, have relied on substantial new debt to balance their budget for the current term, which could lead to unsustainable interest burdens in the future.
- As part of his proposal to revise the state constitution, Vogt suggested imposing a requirement for at least 10-12% of annual expenditure to be allocated to infrastructure investment, aiming to address concerns about securing investments while adhering to the debt brake.
Source: www.stern.de
