The leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), Markus Söder, has firmly positioned himself against tax increases, stating clearly that his party will not support such measures “No, we will not raise taxes now We need to lower them” Söder told the “Handelsblatt” business newspaper
His comments come in response to recent discussions initiated by Lars Klingbeil, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Federal Finance Minister, who has suggested tax increases as a potential solution to significant budgetary gaps projected through 2029 Söder sharply criticized Klingbeil’s proposal, emphasizing the importance of adhering to coalition agreements “Anyone who signs a coalition agreement should work on it, instead of questioning everything after just a few months Plannability and predictability are crucial” he stated, referring to the SPD
Söder also rejected suggestions from within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to offer the SPD concessions on wealth tax in exchange for support on social reforms When asked if he would be open to radical reforms of the citizen’s allowance (Bürgergeld) as part of a tax compromise, Söder responded emphatically in the negative, stating that such a trade-off was not an option for him “I appreciate every opinion, but a single member of parliament does not represent the majority within the Union” he clarified