Carsten Linnemann, the CDU’s secretary general, expressed strong doubts about the SPD’s proposal to introduce a health‑surcharge on rental income and capital gains as a way to shore up the health system’s finances. He said the measure would mainly affect small savers and would undermine the planning security that such investors need.
“I would not target small and medium‑sized savers” he told the ARD magazine “Bericht aus Berlin” on Sunday. “People want certainty about their future. We should encourage them to save for retirement-whether they live in a rented apartment or invest elsewhere. Suddenly we tell them, ‘no, we will take an additional contribution from you.’ That simply isn’t acceptable”.
In the same broadcast, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil had argued that it is fair to tap capital income in order to fund healthcare. Linnemann countered that the CDU would rather eliminate non‑insurance‑related services, such as the co‑insurance that insurance companies collect from recipients of basic social security (the so‑called “Grundsicherung”). He pointed out that insured individuals pay in the ten‑bladian range (10-13 billion euros) for basic security beneficiaries who, in turn, make no contributions.
Linnemann stressed that the discussion around these proposals and the broader social‑state reforms no longer hampers the CDU in the upcoming elections in Baden‑Württemberg and Rhineland‑Palatin. “The debate is currently running smoothly; a few days ago it became more emotional” he said. The terms used at the start polarized and heightened the emotional charge of the discussion, making people feel unfairly judged.
Ultimately, Linnemann said that the decisive factor for voters is the economic situation. Even with improved order books and more start‑ups, the economy remains in a difficult position.