The CDU’s employer wing (CDA) is urging its own party to embrace compromise and pursue reforms regarding inheritance tax at the coalition summit scheduled for Wednesday. CDA chief Dennis Radtke told “Stern” that the coalition committee should operate like a group gathering: everyone must contribute. He insisted that if disagreements were voiced now concerning specific points of the pension reform, it would be counterproductive, emphasizing that there must be no “Bavarian extras.” Earlier, the CSU had criticized the handling of the existing rules for minijobs.
Radtke also called for concessions from his party regarding inheritance tax. He stated that Germany experiences “massive wealth inequality.” He demanded that models for tax savings for the very wealthy and exceptions to inheritance tax for extremely large fortunes be placed on the table. However, he added that “performance must be rewarded, but privileges for those who optimize themselves out of responsibility through expensive advice do not fit our understanding of a social market economy.”
Prior to this, Johannes Winkel, head of the Young Union (JU), had also appealed to his own party. Winkel told “Stern” that the CDU must propose concrete suggestions for budget savings. He recommended that subsidies be gradually reduced and expressed hope that this could be achieved. He noted that this expectation was not just aimed at the SPD but also at the Union. Winkel observed that his party had made too many commitments during the election campaign, which are “simply no longer financially viable.”
The coalition committee is set to meet on Wednesday for the reform summit. Among the topics under discussion are two packages for income tax reforms proposed by Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD), one of which includes a reform of the inheritance tax. Furthermore, the coalition aims to agree on reforms concerning the budget, reduction of bureaucracy, and the labor market.
