Secretary General at ntv FrühstartThe SPD rejects the Union in the pension dispute
The coalition committee met in the evening. The SPD has taken risks before: no renegotiation on pensions, as demanded by parts of the European Union. This coalition primarily wants to cut off economic aid.
For weeks, disputes over the federal government’s pension package have raged within the black-and-red coalition and especially within the European Union. The SPD is now trying to use the words of power: General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf rejected the renegotiation of the pension package decided by the cabinet on the ntv Frühstart program. When asked if his party was ready to tighten the package again, Klüssendorf said: “No, and we have made that very clear.” The law was approved by the cabinet unanimously.
Klüssendorf called on the Union leadership to enforce the pension law against criticism from their own group. “We also have confidence in the leadership of the parliamentary group, in the Chancellor.” 18 young CDU/CSU MPs have announced that they will vote against the package in the Bundestag because the cost to young people is in the billions of dollars. This means that the CDU/CSU and SPD will not get a majority.
Klüssendorf said the SPD had received clear signals that the coalition would agree to the package in its entirety. These include borderline pensions, active and early pensions, as well as maternal pensions. Black-red creates more fairness, guarantees pension rates and creates new incentives to work longer, Klüssendorf said. “All the partners in the coalition have made their points and that is why the package was passed well.”
The SPD Secretary General announced a broad resolution to strengthen the economy for the coalition committee on Thursday evening. The coalition has decided on a lot of economic aid. “If we add that again tonight – on industrial electricity prices, power generation strategies, but also on German funds – then we are on a very good track,” Klüssendorf said.
The German fund is intended to leverage state money through private investment. How much money the federal government will spend on this will be discussed at coalition meetings, the SPD politician said. But the coalition agreement calls for a minimum amount of ten billion euros.
Klüssendorf also once again called for large inheritances to be taxed more heavily. “We have a very clear stance: We want to achieve fairer taxation.” Alternative options for heirs to very large assets must be eliminated. Apart from that, there needs to be a lifetime allowance for the assets that will be inherited. This value must be set so high that it can save small and medium scale assets.
The SPD politician said the SPD would wait for the Federal Constitutional Court’s decision on inheritance tax to be announced at the end of the year. The reason for this initiative is the annual report of economists presented on Wednesday. They complain that inheritance tax is rarely levied on business assets.
