German Union parties head into the federal election campaign with concepts for tax cuts, criminal law toughening, and economic support measures. This is evident from passages for the election program that the “World” (Friday edition) reported. The official Union election program is to be adopted on Tuesday of next week.
Mainly, families and recipients of small and medium-sized incomes are to benefit from tax relief, enabling them to acquire their own homes. “We will create the opportunity for free allowances for the first-time acquisition of self-used residential property through a reform of the land transfer tax” it says in a concept paper by Hesse’s Minister-President Boris Rhein (CDU) and the Hesse CDU. Contents of this paper have been incorporated into the election program of the sister parties. “Whoever wants to fulfill their dream of owning a home should be supported by the state, instead of being asked to pay” it says in the draft.
The effort for companies through regulation and bureaucracy is to be reduced by ending the overfulfillment of European guidelines, known as “gold plating”. “We also want to prolong the inspection and reporting cycles for companies, increase the small-case threshold, introduce a permission assumption for applications after the expiration of a corresponding period at authorities, and wherever possible, expand lump sums” it says in the proposal, which has found its way into the election program.
The Federal Constitutional Court distinguishes between three cases of gold plating: As “true gold plating”, the active addition of a regulation to a directive is described. In the case of “false gold plating”, an EU directive is applied to situations that the directive itself does not regulate. In the case of “passive gold plating”, national higher protection standards are maintained after the implementation of an EU directive. A procedure against passive gold plating would have the consequence of a reduction of national provisions to the EU level.
In the area of internal security, the Union continues to rely on video surveillance, more police presence, electronic ankle bracelets, and the repeatedly rejected data storage law. Violence against women in the private sphere has reached a threatening extent, as the Union says – as a measure against it, it is planned to “electronically monitor ‘woman-beaters’ across the board to prevent these crimes.” Internet service providers are to be obligated to store their users’ IP addresses for at least a month without a reason.
The election program also contains a “gender ban in the administration”, a plea for the combustion engine, and the promotion of nuclear fusion technology.