Hagel criticizes financial equalization: "Money only for reforms" - Baden-Württemberg's CDU slams Germany's fiscal transfers ahead of tight election
CDU Lead Candidate Hagel Slams Federal Fiscal Transfers—Calculates Southwest's Bill in Beer
Just 20 days before Baden-Württemberg's state election, CDU top candidate Manuel Hagel has sharply criticized the mechanisms of Germany's fiscal equalization system. Speaking at the party's traditional Aschermittwoch political gathering in Fellbach (Rems-Murr district), he warned that further weakening the southern donor states would harm the entire country. "The system is unjust," he declared.
Since 1952, Baden-Württemberg alone has transferred €92 billion to other states, Hagel noted—including €5 billion last year. To drive home the point, he converted that sum into beer during his speech in Fellbach's festival hall: at €15 per Maß (liter mug), the state's €5 billion contribution would buy every resident 30 beers. "No one could drink that much," he quipped.
Hagel: Funds Only in Exchange for Reforms
The CDU leader questioned why Baden-Württemberg's taxpayers should foot the bill for free childcare in Berlin while facing their own daycare fees at home. "We are solidary, and we will remain solidary," he said. "But money must come with reforms and investments." With the region's industrial base eroding, he warned, "we need our money for our investments and our jobs"—or risk becoming "another Detroit."
This year's Aschermittwoch political gathering has put the Greens and the CDU in the spotlight, as their candidates are the only real contenders for the state premiership. Polls currently favor the CDU ahead of the March 8 election, though the Greens have been gaining ground.
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