Economists Urge In-Depth Discussion of Elon Musk’s Points on AfD
Leading economists are calling for a thorough analysis of the points made by Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, in support of the AfD, a right-wing party in Germany.
Veronika Grimm, an economist from Nuremberg, one of the five so-called “economic wise men” described the debate sparked by Musk’s statements in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” as “actually good, because it’s essential that we all become political now.” She believes that it’s pointless to suppress the discussion about the AfD and its topics. “It must be led, and it can be led.”
Grimm sees a great need for reform in Germany: “It’s true that we need quite radical decisions to become competitive again and strong in Europe.” The only chance for the parties of the democratic center to take corresponding measures is by being aware of the alternative: “If we don’t change direction – for example, the withdrawal of the state from many economic sectors, tax cuts, adjustments to the social welfare system, a reduction of labor costs, and a sensible energy policy – then we will probably get the program of the next legislative period from extreme parties.” Grimm expects “chaos” in this case.
Clemens Fuest, the president of the Munich Ifo Institute, considers the called-for EU exit as the “biggest economic problem” in the AfD’s program, as he told the FAZ. “Some of the other measures are sensible, such as the demanded subject-oriented instead of object-oriented housing policy (housing allowance instead of social housing), while others, like the abolition of the property tax, are questionable.” It is unclear how the many tax cuts and other relief measures are to be financed. “The lack of specification of the counterfinancing also characterizes the programs of other parties.