Friedrich Merz questions the announced tax cut

is not a decided thing in the words of the designated Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). “No, it’s not fixed,” said Merz the “Bild am Sonntag” (Bams) with a view to the planned measure.

The Union and SPD coalition agreement states: “We will reduce income tax for small and medium -sized incomes to the middle of the legislature”. However, details are not mentioned. The SPD requirement for tax increases for well-paid and rich does not occur.

“We would have liked to have appointed this in the coalition with the Social Democrats from the start,” said Merz about the planned tax cut. However, there were disagreements. “That’s why we left it open,” added the CDU boss. “We want to reduce income tax if the public budget has given,” emphasized Merz.

The fear that many workers will have less in their pockets due to increasing social contributions and lack of tax reductions at the end of their reign, Merz “certainly does not unjustified” from today’s perspective. But it will be “our job to dispel this fear and do the right thing so that at the end of this election period, people say: We are better than at the beginning.”

Merz rejected demands of the SPD, according to which the minimum wage should rise to 15 euros per hour by 2026. “We didn’t agree that,” said the future Chancellor of the “Bams”. “We agreed that we assume that the minimum wage commission will think in this direction. There will be no legal automatism.” The minimum wage is currently 12.82 euros.

Merz expects the new federal government to come into office under his leadership on May 6th. The CDU leader told the “Handelsblatt”. “Then we have a good two months up to the summer vacation to quickly decide a few things so that people feel that something really changes.” Merz cited better border protection and more deportations, the abolition of the supply chain law and the reduction of bureaucracy as examples.

Before the Chancellor is chosen by the Bundestag and his cabinet is appointed and sworn in, the coalition agreement of the CDU, CSU and SPD must first be signed. In order for this to be done, the CDU and SPD must have the contract approved internally. The CDU appoints a small party congress for this, the SPD will hold a member survey from Tuesday, which is due to last two weeks. The CSU has already agreed to the contract.

CSU boss Markus Söder had already mentioned May 6th as a possible date. If everything goes according to plan, the coalition agreement between the Union and SPD can be signed on May 5, Merz could be elected in the Bundestag the next day, Bavaria’s Prime Minister said on Thursday, according to participants, in an internal meeting of the CSU board in Munich.