Bundesfinanzminister Lars Klingbeil has put forward a proposal to replace the long‑standing married‑couple splitting (Ehegattensplitting). His idea has met both approval and criticism inside his own Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the opposition.
Wiebke Esdar, SPD‑parliamentary vice‑chairwoman, told “Tagesspiegel” on Friday that the splitting system, rooted in a time of clear gender roles where the man earned and the woman cared for the family, has “kept countless women trapped in part‑time work for decades”. She praised Klingbeil for finally confronting this outdated system. However, Esdar admitted that a tax reform alone would not rescue women from the part‑time trap. “Until parents continue to fight each morning for kindergarten places and deal with gaps in care, little will change” she explained. As a working mother, she described the daily juggling act and argued that any push for more paid employment must be backed by infrastructure-reliable kindergartens, good full‑day care, and flexible working hours.
The Greens and the Left Party have long called for a reform of the Ehegattensplitting, but even they say Klingbeil’s proposals fall short. “Those who wish to escape the part‑time trap usually also need relief from caregiving responsibilities-adequate investment in kindergartens and care is essential” said Doris Achwelwilm, the Left Party’s tax‑policy spokesperson. Statements of this sort are unlikely to come from the CDU/CSU or SPD, yet the proposals will be examined with a focus on distributive and gender equality.
