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Traffic light coalition: Lindner: No budget cuts with the lawn mower

Traffic light coalition: Lindner: No budget cuts with the lawn mower

After the postponement of the budget, Finance Minister Lindner has to appear before the Bundestag committee. He doesn’t have a new schedule in his pocket. A denial for that.

According to Finance Minister Christian Lindner, he does not want to fill the gap in the federal budget by making blanket cuts in the ministries. In view of the tense financial situation, the federal government is forced to set budgetary priorities in order to comply with the debt brake, said the FDP politician on Wednesday before a survey in the Bundestag’s budget committee. “We’re going to do this together and creatively. Together and creatively means that there can be no blanket savings using the lawnmower method.”

Lindner had previously announced that he would not be able to present his draft budget for 2024 to the cabinet on June 21, as planned. The traffic light government is still fiercely arguing about which departments will have to save how much in the coming year. The traffic light factions had then invited him before the budget committee.

Budget plans must be submitted before the summer break

According to the participants, Lindner did not name a new date for the submission of the budget plans at the meeting. The opposition in particular sharply criticized this. Parliament must have the draft before the start of the summer recess on July 7th. “If it’s not there then, we can’t start advising after the summer break,” said Union housekeeper Christian Haase. “The chancellor should now have a say in the matter.”

The Greens also demanded a draft by the summer break. Lindner emphasized: “Of course I want to make sure that there are orderly parliamentary deliberations, as has been the case in recent years.” Usually, the members of parliament also used the time when there were no meetings in the summer for this purpose. “And of course we want to stick to these practices.”

Lindner: Distribute savings and burdens

The finance minister emphasized that all departments and all three coalition partners must make their contribution to the budget. Savings and burdens should not be distributed unilaterally either. Budget consolidation should not be carried out solely on the backs of motorists or small and medium-sized businesses.

Green parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge emphasized that Lindner had enough opportunities to create leeway in the household without cutting funds for children, sports projects, culture or climate. “With the abolition of climate-damaging subsidies such as the company car privilege, the finance minister would have the chance to receive a double dividend: to bring climate protection and a solid budget together.”

Source: Stern

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