The Green Party has sharply criticized the statement by SPD leader Bärbel Bas, who suggested that a tax reform should alleviate the burden on taxpayers by at least €500 annually.
Andreas Audretsch, a deputy in the Green parliamentary group, told the “Rheinische Post” that the current federal government is making massive cuts to people with low incomes, specifically citing reductions in housing benefits, support for single parents, youth programs, the BAföG reform, and care for dependents. Audretsch further stated that Bärbel Bas is promising multi-billion euro tax cuts without any clear plan for financing them. He concluded that the political figures Merz, Klingbeil, and Bas are primarily generating chaos.
Audretsch added that it is unclear what the government’s true objectives are. He believes that meaningful relief must actually reach the majority of people. To achieve this, both taxes for low- and middle-income earners and social contributions would need to be lowered. Such change, however, requires structural reforms, necessitating that the wealthiest citizens bear a fair share of the costs. These points were made by Labor Minister Bas earlier on Sunday evening during the TV broadcast “Miosga.”
