Because the opposition CDU could reduce the property transfer tax, there is talk of a “unique process” in Thuringia. The plan is causing a stir because it doesn’t work without votes from the AfD.
A special event in German parliamentary history with a new distribution of roles may occur in Thuringia’s state parliament: Today in Erfurt the opposition has a good chance of pushing through a tax cut worth around 50 million euros against the government coalition.
In addition, the opposition CDU faction, which wants to reduce the property transfer tax from 6.5 to 5.0 percent, can only do this if, in addition to the FDP, the AfD, which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified as proven right-wing extremist in Thuringia, agrees. The red-red-green minority government of Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left) speaks of a “unique process” and a “pact with the devil”.
What the CDU wants
CDU parliamentary group leader Mario Voigt explained the CDU initiative and referred to the support of the Chambers of Industry and Commerce. Thuringia is one of the federal states with the highest tax rate for property purchases.
The law has been on the table for a long time and his group has waited in vain for proposals from the red-red-green coalition. “We can’t make solving problems dependent on the wrong side threatening to agree. People outside expect that their issues will be taken care of. Our proposal has been on the table for two years, now it’s being voted on,” said Voigt of the German Press Agency in Erfurt.
The CDU and the firewall to the AfD
Voigt believes it is obvious that Ramelow’s red-red-green coalition, which has not had a majority in the state parliament since taking office in 2020, is rejecting the proposal in order to set a trap for the CDU. “It’s about pushing the CDU into a corner and scandalizing the vote.”
There have been no discussions with the AfD, there is no cooperation, the firewall is up. “We have a very clear stance on Mr. Höcke and the AfD. We promote our positions and do not agree to any of the AfD’s proposals,” said Voigt. In addition, the red-red-green coalition has already voted with the AfD: in changing the local government regulations and changing an investigative committee mandate on the government’s personnel policy.
The opinion of the governing coalition
The parliamentary group leaders of the Left, SPD and Greens have repeatedly warned in the past few days against giving the AfD leeway when it comes to a tax cut and thus the state budget. The CDU knowingly and willingly accepts that the reduction in property transfer tax is only possible if the AfD agrees, said SPD leader and Interior Minister Georg Maier.
SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert spoke of no new development, namely that the CDU in Thuringia is losing its distance from the AfD, partly out of fear and partly out of conviction. The federal CDU has no authority to enforce the course of AfD demarcation announced by Friedrich Merz among party friends in Erfurt.
Support from the CDU leadership
The CDU vice-chairwoman Karin Prien from the more liberal wing jumped to the side of her Thuringian party colleagues: “Abusing the important fight against right-wing extremism for party-political skirmishes within the democratic center damages our country and benefits the AfD,” explained the Schleswig-Holsteiner in the ” Bild-Zeitung. Reducing the property transfer tax is a sensible political goal in order to provide relief for families. “It must be possible for the CDU to do constructive opposition work without constantly assuming that it is close to the AfD.”
A spokesman for party leader Merz told the newspaper that with the application, the Thuringian CDU is fulfilling its duty to bring its own solutions to the political consultation in accordance with the vote of its voters. “How other factions react to this afterwards is not within their control.”
The Thuringian conditions
Thuringia is a political special case: the red-red-green coalition has been four votes short of its own majority since it took office in 2020. There is neither tolerance nor tolerance – Ramelow’s government depends on compromises with the opposition for all decisions. When it comes to the budget, this has so far been the CDU, which is the largest opposition faction after some MPs left Björn Höcke’s faction.
President of the state parliament for adjournments
Thuringia’s state parliament president, Birgit Pommer, has called for the tax decision to be postponed in a letter to all six parliamentary groups.
She cited constitutional concerns about individual passages that should be examined by the state parliament’s research service. “I ask you to understand this proposal as an attempt to objectify the further debate within parliament and to take the state parliament’s commitment to law and order into account as best as possible,” says the letter, which is available to the dpa. Critical comments on tax cuts came from the State Audit Office.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
