Hessian premier Boris Rhein (CDU) has voiced strong criticism over the expenditures of recipient states in the Länderfinanzausgleich. He said it is unacceptable for Hessen to take on debt while other states fund free‑of‑charge kindergartens, tree‑planting initiatives, or continually introduce new add‑on programmes – pointing specifically to fees‑free childcare in Rhineland‑Palatinate and Berlin.
Rhein argued that the solidarity principle should not “overburden” the donor states. “If Hessen, as a strong state, has to borrow money in order to support other Länder with nearly four billion euros a year on the Länderfinanzausgleich, something fundamental is wrong” he said.
This year, Hessen is taking on 1.7 billion euros of debt and will contribute four billion euros to the equalisation scheme.
