Lars Klingbeil doesn't talk about finances at first. In the first 15 minutes, his speech is more of a government statement. Not only the Finance Minister is speaking here, but also the Vice Chancellor two days after the AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt.
"Who belongs to Germany is not decided by a surname, skin color or where their parents were born. Our 'we' is bigger, dear colleagues," says the SPD politician.
And then it's about money. Klingbeil plans to spend around 555 billion euros next year. That is around 31 billion euros more than this year. In the coming year, the state wants to take on debts of almost 119 billion euros. Together with the special debts for defense, infrastructure and climate protection, there are actually 204 billion euros in debt. Klingbeil justifies himself: “We are building the infrastructure of tomorrow.”
The Ministry of Labor's budget is the largest
Most of the money in Klingbeil's budget proposal is not intended for infrastructure, but for pensions and social benefits. The second largest expenditure is defense and security. Klingbeil explains it this way: "We don't make ourselves small in front of Putin. Defending ourselves without new debts is like flying to the moon without a rocket."
Then Klingbeil wipes the sweat from his forehead. Because you not only invest, but also save. Housing benefits, parental benefits, climate protection, development aid - the federal government wants to put the red pencil in many areas. The finance minister again refers to the Germany of tomorrow: "I want us to be able to look back on this time in ten years and say that when it mattered most, we made the right decisions," he says.
"We made Germany stronger, we defended democracy when the right-wing extremists wanted to destroy it. We strengthened our security when Putin threatened us. We brought the economy back forward and created new jobs. I am firmly convinced that we can achieve this. Our country can do it."
Sharp criticism from the opposition
The opposition hardly leaves a good thing in the draft budget. The AfD MP Michael Espendiller criticizes the high taxes at the gas station and the enormous interest on new debt: "This draft contains 41 billion euros for interest alone. That is more than the ministries of health, education, family, economy, justice, digital affairs and the environment have available together. Six ministries that we only spend on interest."
The Greens criticize the cuts in climate protection and alleged booking tricks. Dietmar Bartsch from the Left Party calls for higher taxation of assets: "Work is taxed on average at more than 40 percent, while assets are compensated at 25 percent. This is cementing inequality, ladies and gentlemen," says Bartsch.
Looking for ways to save
And the Union? The CDU MP Mathias Middelberg has always criticized high debts in the opposition. Now he has to defend the record debts. He does this with a serious expression and emphasizes: Loan financing must be reduced. And he has an idea of where savings could be made: "But, and I say this expressly, not every program that has climate written on it is a taboo."
The debate about the draft budget is just the beginning of a long process in the Bundestag. The draft is likely to be discussed and edited a lot. It should be passed by the end of the year.
