Top Issues of the Union’s Election Program Formulated by Leading Politicians
Before the final deliberations, leading politicians from the CDU and CSU have formulated the top themes of the Union’s election program. “The dream of owning a home or a flat should not remain a dream for the middle class,” said Hesse’s Minister-President Boris Rhein (CDU) to the World (Tuesday edition). It must be “reachable for the citizens.”
A new federal government should ensure that, despite rising construction costs and high interest rates, more owner-occupied homes are built and the construction of new homes is possible again. “A reform of the real estate transfer tax, which allows the states to have a free allowance and thus reduces the construction costs, is a real relief for young families and belongs in my party’s election program,” said Rhein. Families should be enabled to buy their first home tax-free. “The real estate transfer tax will then go to the house and not to the state budget.”
The head of the Christian Democratic Employees’ Association, Dennis Radtke (CDU), is pushing for a relief of tenants: “We must also create affordable living space. Living should not become a luxury. Rising rents and construction prices are currently devouring every wage increase.” For example, a forced increase in housing construction should alleviate the tension in the rental market.
“Through the actions of the SPD, many people have been pushed to the political fringes in recent years,” said Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister-President Reiner Haseloff (CDU) to the World. “Politics for Germany must therefore consist of demonstrating handiness in the areas that are essential for our country. Speak reliably to the future, invest in the semiconductor sector, in the structural change in the coal regions, and of course in a high-performance infrastructure and digitalization.”
The head of the CSU’s parliamentary group, Alexander Dobrindt, spoke of a “comeback plan” for the economy. This should include “competitive business taxes, affordable energy prices, and a reliable investment climate.” The tax burden on companies, currently over 30%, should be reduced and “capped at a maximum of 25%.”
However, Dobrindt made it clear in the face of the debate within the Union that the investments mentioned by Minister-President Haseloff will not be financed through new debt. “The debt brake is the guarantor against unbridled new debt, for solid budgets and fairness towards the young generation. The debt brake is not at our disposal,” said the CSU parliamentary group leader.
The Christian Democratic Students’ Ring, on the other hand, is advocating for the introduction of tuition fees into the CDU’s election program. “We reject tuition fees during the study period in Germany, but we support the socially acceptable model of deferred tuition fees,” said Lukas Honemann, federal chairman of the RCDS and a member of the CDU federal executive board.
“With a deferred, income-based model, one could solve the financing problem of the universities, without burdening or deterring students during the study period.