The CDU will delay the top marginal tax rate in the future. “We have a problem, by the way, that has been in Germany for several decades now: it’s so that the 1.3 times the average salary is no longer enough” said CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann to the TV channel “Welt” on Wednesday. “If I earn that, I’m already in the top marginal tax rate.”
According to the data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the average monthly gross salary in 2023 was around 3,540 euros. The 1.3 times of that would be 4,602 euros, and with 12 salaries, the total annual gross salary would be 55,224 euros. Individuals are affected by the top marginal tax rate from a taxable annual income of 66,761 euros, while married couples have a threshold of 277,825 euros.
“If I delay the top marginal tax rate, I will have a complete relief of the entire tax curve” the CDU general secretary claimed. “That also means people who earn between two and a half thousand to 3,000 euros gross, who really work hard all day. Nobody else talks about that.” A gross salary of 3,000 euros is not enough to be affected by the top marginal tax rate, as additional income sources are still necessary.
Linnemann explained that the population would be disappointed if only the upper income groups or transfer payments were discussed, without presenting solutions for the “middle”. “It’s right to talk about that. But only talking about it causes the middle to get upset.” The CDU is therefore focusing on concrete numbers and relief. “We do that very concretely, saying how much in euros per month and at the end of the year, and we’re in the three-digit range.”
Linnemann sees significant progress in the preparations for the election campaign. “This morning, I had the last adjustment with Markus Söder and Friedrich Merz. We’re almost done” he said. “There are still one or two questions, and we’ll clarify those this week. And then we’ll go out with a program in early week, after the confidence vote, if we make it out with a program that’s been washed and ironed.”
The CDU promises no unrealistic goals, but concrete feasibility, according to Linnemann. “We won’t promise the blue from the sky, but what’s written in, if we try to implement it.