Until now, the municipalities receive around two percent of the value-added tax assigned. The municipal share of the value-added tax must be increased from the current 8.2 billion euros to at least 17.5 billion euros.” That would be a liberating blow, which could lead to reductions in, for example, specific funding programs.
In the municipalities themselves, he sees no more saving possibilities. “All screws that can be turned on our level are already stuck. The counties are being pressed like a lemon. Cities, municipalities, and counties currently receive 14 percent of the tax revenue and are supposed to cover 25 percent of the expenses. That can’t go on forever,” said Brötel.
“We therefore desperately need a system change. A fundamental, task-appropriate financing. Or, in short, the money needed to fulfill the state’s tasks.” He warned of the consequences if the municipalities cannot overcome their financial bottlenecks. “If the counties cannot fulfill their tasks someday, so the social welfare state at the local level comes to a standstill, it leads directly to injustice. Exactly what we must avoid and therefore do everything to remain operational and capable of performance,” said Brötel.
The County Association President demands an end to the citizen’s allowance for Ukrainian refugees and a reform of the social benefit. He also urges the municipalities to be more closely incorporated into the solution of state-challenging issues. “In reality, I often experience in federal politics that the separation is emphasized rather than the common will to solve the problem. That does not help the country,” criticizes Brötel.
“Moreover, it is necessary to bring much more practical common sense into politics. There is really a lot of that on the municipal level. That we have managed the various refugee waves and not least the Corona pandemic so well was the achievement of the counties, cities, and municipalities. What the federal government and the states have contributed to the pandemic, in my perception, was in many cases at best not harmful.