An expensive toilet facility for a few days a year, a bicycle tower for 1.3 million euros, a temporary "cooling point" in Berlin - the Taxpayers' Association has once again found a whole series of cases in its new black book on the waste of taxpayer money, which it skewers with almost relish.
In Hadamar, Hesse, it's about toilet facilities on the “In der Host” fairgrounds. As the Taxpayers' Association reports, it was supposed to be a new building for 355,700 euros that could only be used on a few days a year. The matter was urgent because otherwise the state's funding would have been forfeited. “Hadamar itself initially pays 'only' 30,700 euros, the rest of the project is financed by the state of Hesse: 292,500 euros are funding from the so-called Hessenkasse and 32,500 euros are an interest-free loan,” says the black book. Annual maintenance should only cost around 1000 euros. The respective organizers of the fair and Christmas market should take care of the cleaning. The taxpayers' association's verdict is: far too much for a toilet that can probably only be used six days a year. A cheaper solution would have made more sense.
Another case takes place in the city of Frankenthal in the Palatinate. She wants to make the combination of bikes, buses and trains more attractive. One project was the construction of a special bicycle parking tower. The first preparatory work took place in mid-December 2024 and the tower was opened at the end of May 2026, report observers from the Taxpayers' Association. According to the information, the wooden-clad bicycle parking tower has a capacity of 96 secured parking spaces, eight of which have a power connection for e-bikes. “This unconventional construction cost around 1.3 million euros, the equivalent of around 13,500 euros per parking space.” In addition, there is an estimated operating deficit of 30,000 euros per year. Almost 98 percent of this is financed through the municipal investment program for climate protection and innovation of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The taxpayers' association's verdict: stylish bicycle tower, space-saving too, but not financially proportionate. “It’s no wonder that such projects are only realized through mixed financing.”
In a separate section, the taxpayers' interest group takes a closer look at the funding programs. She talks about poisoned gifts. “The actual need no longer determines what tax money is used for, but funding determines what is simply declared to be a need,” criticizes Association President Reiner Holznagel.
The federal capital is also represented in the black book – with the “Cooling Point”, which opened in July 2025. “Berlin is testing innovative measures in the fight against urban heat and climate change in Mauerpark with a shack costing almost 45,000 euros,” it says. The wood and steel structure offered 25 square meters of seating under a shady slatted roof as well as green plant boxes. They should serve as a cool retreat on hot days. There was also a public drinking water fountain next to it. After a pilot operation, plant theft and a winter break, the system is now back in version 2.0.
The taxpayers' association's devastating verdict reads: "In the hot summer weather, it was no cooler under the 'Cooling Point' than under the numerous trees in Mauerpark." A proper economic analysis would have shown that this shack was not the answer to climate change.
The city of Leipzig also doesn't fare well in the report. The reason is the new corporate design including the new city logo. “What started with a modest budget of 50,000 euros ended in a cost explosion of 666,000 euros,” it says. The price even includes the development of its own font for the city - while at the same time there is a lack of money for social and transport infrastructure. As the taxpayers' association points out, other cities have shown that such projects could be implemented much more cheaply. “For example, the city of Marburg realized a relaunch for just around 35,000 euros.”
As the Black Book further explains, the state of Hesse is paying 330,000 euros a year for an orphaned police station in Wetzlar - until the end of 2035 if the state does not find a new tenant soon. This threatened to waste more than 3.6 million euros of taxpayers' money. The reason given for the vacancy was that the building was no longer suitable for future requirements. In addition, they wanted to accommodate the Wetzlar police station with the Lahn-Dill regional criminal investigation department and the Central Hesse central service dog squad at a common location in order to enable better cooperation. The taxpayers' interest group considers this goal to be understandable, but believes that in this case the state of Hesse should have taken care of subsequent use earlier.
