FDP parliamentary group leader Meyer accuses SPD and Greens of "unbridled spending addiction".

Before the meeting of the coalition leaders on Sunday, FDP deputy faction leader Christoph Meyer demanded more spending discipline from the coalition partners SPD and Greens with drastic words. "We are stopping the unbridled spending addiction of the SPD and the Greens and are now helping with cold turkey," Meyer told the newspapers of the Funke media group. "Sometimes you have to knock the bottle of schnapps from the mouth of the alcoholic," added the FDP budget politician.

Meyer warned the SPD and Greens against wanting to use funds from the 200 billion defense shield against rising energy prices for other purposes. "What the aid money can be used for is clearly defined in the law," he said. "Perforating the umbrella now is antisocial and irresponsible because nobody knows what the situation will be like next winter."

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner had previously rejected calls for higher spending in the 2024 budget. The FDP chairman told the “Focus” that it was out of the question before the structural deficit of up to 18 billion euros was closed through savings or reductions in subsidies. "Politicians have to learn again how to get by with the money they have."

The taxpayers' association has meanwhile called on the heads of the traffic light parties to review all expenditure during their deliberations in the coalition committee in order to consolidate the budget. "Instead of looking for new sources of financing - whether taxes, levies or debts - we need a large inventory of expenditure," said association president Reiner Holznagel to the editorial network Germany.

"In politics, one is obviously subject to the illusion that the taxpayers are limitlessly efficient and that the income has to be adjusted to the spending wishes," criticized Holznagel. It shouldn't be the case that the federal administration is getting bigger and bigger, subsidies are being decided "like on an assembly line" and the state is pursuing an expensive fully comprehensive policy that exempts each individual from personal risks. "In politics, far too much is declared sacrosanct - but this does not bring about a turning point for the federal budget," warned the head of the association.

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