A growing sentiment within Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) signals a push to link discussions surrounding welfare state reform with a reassessment of inheritance taxation, particularly for the wealthiest individuals.
Matthias Miersch, parliamentary group leader of the SPD, stated in an interview with the “taz” newspaper that the unequal distribution of wealth represents a significant challenge. He advocated for a coalition-wide examination of the special rules governing inheritance tax for the wealthiest segments of the population. Miersch emphasized that those receiving multimillion or billion-euro inheritances should not be exempt from societal responsibility. Closing existing loopholes, he argued, would safeguard smaller inheritances and contribute to greater fairness.
Parsa Marvi, a financial expert and member of the SPD parliamentary group’s executive board, echoed this view, suggesting that welfare state reform and the question of wealth distribution should be addressed in conjunction. He believes such an approach would send a strong message about the coalition’s vision for the future. Marvi asserted that a fair system requires consideration not only for workers and social welfare recipients, but also for individuals possessing substantial wealth. He highlighted proposals put forward by the SPD parliamentary group in 2023, calling for reforms to prevent the tax-free transfer of exceptionally large assets. Marvi expressed optimism that current circumstances present a favorable opportunity to pursue these discussions within the governing coalition.