Every year in its Black Book, the Taxpayers' Association criticizes cases in which, in the association's opinion, authorities have wasted taxpayers' money. This year, nine cases from the southwest made it onto the association's negative list. But one comes with praise. A selection:
Useless parasols?
Under the heading “Bizarre”, the Taxpayers’ Association deals with the heat action plan of the state capital Stuttgart. In order to offer people in the city more protection from the sun, the city administration spent around 350,000 euros on parasols, sun sails and seating blocks in the summer of 2025.
However: According to the association, the locations of the umbrellas caused some surprise among the population. For example, an umbrella was placed on the market square in the Botnang district directly under a plane tree that had already provided large areas of shade, according to the black book.
The city of Stuttgart announced that the umbrellas had not been installed in the middle of the square at the request of the market suppliers. As a result of the compromise, one of the screens was installed on the edge. There, in the afternoon, he provided shade in addition to the tree - "with reduced but existing benefits," according to the city.
Well-known café is closed for a long time
The association also criticizes the renovation of the well-known “Café Planie” in Stuttgart, which has been going on for years. The building has therefore no longer been used since 2020, and there have been repeated delays in the planning and implementation of the renovation, the association criticized. The case is a typical example of never-ending construction projects. It is also annoying that the work has caused rent losses for years for the state that owns the property in downtown Stuttgart.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Finance said that the renovation work in the cafe was a prerequisite for renting the building. The tax money invested was used sensibly. The extended construction period was due to unexpected delivery bottlenecks. “We ourselves are not satisfied that it took longer than planned.” The renovation was completed in summer 2026.
Flatter bike path - and nobody needs it?
Another example in which the taxpayers' association suspects a waste of public money is the expansion of a cycle path between Aidlingen and Böblingen near Stuttgart. A 370 meter long cycle path was rebuilt there. According to the taxpayers' association, the aim of the whole thing: less gradient. After the conversion, cyclists only have to ride uphill at a gradient of seven percent instead of the previous 17 percent. Cost: one million euros.
However, according to the association, cyclists made it clear in the local press that this was not necessary. “The majority of cyclists are now traveling on e-bikes,” says the Black Book.
The Böblingen district responsible for the renovation contradicts this. By reducing the gradient, the cycle path will be usable for all user groups and the risk of accidents will be minimized. The district explains the costs with extensive earthworks and slope stabilization work. “The investment is appropriate and proportionate,” said District Administrator Roland Bernhard (independent).
One of the most expensive pedestrian bridges in Germany?
In Mannheim, the Taxpayers' Association criticizes the so-called Franklin Bridge. The bridge spans a federal highway over a length of 50 meters. The association considers the bridge itself to be justified, but not the execution. The structure is considered the world's longest integral wooden bridge because it is built without bearings and joints.
At 184,000 euros per bridge meter, the Franklin Bridge is mathematically one of the most expensive cycle and pedestrian bridges in Germany. At the beginning of the planning, the costs were assumed to be 5.9 million euros, but in the end it was 9.2 million euros. Because of special funding, the federal government covered the entire costs, it was said.
The city of Mannheim announced that the aim of the project was not just to create a pedestrian and cycle path connection, but to do so in a “technologically innovative and climate-friendly way”. The bridge was a pilot project that provided insights for many other future bridge construction projects nationwide.
Not just criticism: praise for late, sensible decisions
The Taxpayers' Association not only criticizes, but in one case it also praises. The “Black Book” lists as a success the fact that an advertising project in Stuttgart that, from the association's point of view, was clearly too expensive was dropped. The CDU faction in the city council wanted to have a Stuttgart logo installed on the market square as a selfie hotspot. Cost: 470,000 euros. According to the association's assessment, the city could not have afforded this due to a massive deficit. After much criticism, the idea was abandoned. “A good and right decision,” says the “Black Book”.
What is behind the black book?
The Taxpayers' Association is a private association that politically advocates, among other things, the efficient use of tax money and sound state finances. The Taxpayers' Association emphasizes that it is politically neutral.
The association’s “black book” is controversial. There has been criticism that it only lists spectacular individual cases, but often ignores their context and does not paint a representative overall picture of tax waste.
