Higher taxes are finally no longer negotiable

The crisis - first Corona, then Ukraine - has now lasted three years, and yet the taxpayer money is still bubbling away. The current tax estimate makes it clear once again:

Despite all the uncertainty, the state still has exceptionally high financial power. Now it is up to the federal and state governments to draw the right conclusions from this.

The first has to be that all calls for higher taxes are misplaced – this also applies to creeping tax hikes such as so-called cold progression. Even if the left-wing political camp likes to give a different impression, the strong shoulders already carry a lot more burden than the weak ones.

How much more is shown particularly impressively when it comes to income tax: the top ten percent of income earners generate 55 percent of tax revenue, the top 50 percent 94 percent - accordingly, according to figures from the Federal Ministry of Finance, the bottom 50 percent only account for six percent.

This is not to be criticized, but it is undisputed that every citizen is taxed according to his or her ability to pay. That is why the state is not allowed to collect any additional taxes right now, when wages are rising less than prices and the real ability of the taxpayer to perform is therefore falling due to inflation.

The SPD and the Greens should also recognize this. Incidentally, full compensation for cold progression, as demanded by Finance Minister Christian Lindner, takes place automatically in other countries.

The second conclusion from the lavish tax estimate is that there is at least currently no argument to suspend the debt brake again in 2023 - contrary to what the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, has already discussed with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

What kind of emergency that has to be determined for this should that be in view of the unchanged high state revenues?