SPD slams Union's tax reform as a handout to the ultra-rich
Berlin. SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch has sharply criticized the latest tax reform proposal from the conservative Union bloc.
"The plan primarily envisions tax cuts for top earners: a third of the proposed relief would go to the wealthiest five percent," Miersch told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (Saturday edition). "I am highly skeptical of that."
He dismissed the counterfinancing measures suggested by two CDU politicians—relying on spending cuts—as "unserious," noting that several CDU-led ministries had failed to deliver on agreed personnel and administrative savings. "For me, the Union's latest proposals are just empty promises—you can't build serious policy on them," the SPD faction chief said.
"During the coronavirus crisis, the first energy crisis triggered by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and now once again, it is low- and middle-income households bearing the brunt of soaring prices—from groceries to transportation," he explained. "To relieve the pressure on them, the highest earners must contribute more. There is room for that." How the wealthy can fairly support the common good, he added, "will be a key issue in the planned tax reform."
For Miersch, the debate is about social cohesion. "The gap between the middle class and the ultra-rich keeps widening. Closing it is crucial for our country's unity," he said. "Even the Union cannot want this divide to grow any further."
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