Federal budget: Lindner postpones presentation of the basic budget figures

Finance Minister Christian Lindner is postponing the submission of his key figures for the 2024 budget.

Federal budget: Lindner postpones presentation of the basic budget figures

Finance Minister Christian Lindner is postponing the submission of his key figures for the 2024 budget. The FDP politician originally wanted to present the budget plans to the cabinet next Wednesday. The German Press Agency learned on Thursday that he had already informed Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) that this appointment could not be kept.

"We will have to talk about financial realities together again in the cabinet," Lindner told dpa. He expressly does not name a new point in time.

His fellow ministers had announced additional requests of 70 billion euros, for which Lindner, who insists on complying with the debt brake and refraining from tax increases, sees no leeway in the budget. According to the Ministry of Finance, the risks for the budget have recently increased further. Interest payments, the ongoing collective bargaining and aid for Ukraine are mentioned in this context.

Mood in the coalition irritated

"The high interest burden is a clear signal to curb government debt," said Lindner. At the same time, the citizens were already paying high taxes. "So we have to learn to get by with the available financial framework." Priorities must be set for this, because not everything can be financed at the same time.

The key points for the 2024 budget were an important reason for the recently irritated mood in the coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP. The point of contention is about basic child security. The traffic light coalition has agreed that services from child benefit to child allowance and financial support for school trips should be bundled and better received by those entitled. It is disputed whether this should also mean a multi-billion dollar financial increase.

The debt brake in the Basic Law stipulates a strict credit limit for the federal government, which can only be suspended in emergencies - that was the case, for example, during the pandemic.

NEXT NEWS