4 ms·

there's a bizarre trend in Germany in the last few months for legistlating completely unneccesary things. This is a great example. Additionally today they anno

there's a bizarre trend in Germany in the last few months for legistlating completely unneccesary things. This is a great example. Additionally today they announced that while profits on stock trading (specifically derivatives) can be taxed fully, losses can only be accounted for upto 10.000€ Berlin is trying to freeze rents for the next 5 years and make it possible to retroactively lower rents to the level of 2013. This kids, is what it looks like when a government is too scared to solve bigger structural challenges (digitization of the beauraucracy, switch to electromobility, better competitive environment for startups, questionable pension system, unneccesarily high taxes that keep leading to surpluses, I could go on) - and instead keep themselves occupied with non-issues that are PR heavy. Schade.

Mirioron 7y ago
I'm pretty sure this is just a consequence of that EU copyright reform that passed some months ago (article 11&13/15&17). At least the linked article talks about it (in German). The EU can't make laws themselves. The way they work is by requiring member states to make laws and this is Germany's.
- raverbashing 7y ago
  You are correct But the implementation details are left to the member states and of course Germany came up with this in their interpretation of the link tax
- johannes1234321 7y ago
  Correct, it is the national implementation implementation of an EU directive. And to the other point: There are two kinds of EU law. Regulationsa and directives. Regulations are direct law in all member states, directives need national implementation.
- krona 7y ago
  > The EU can't make laws themselves. They can. It's called a regulation. Directives are what you're referring to. A regulation is a legal act of the European Union that becomes immediately enforceable as law in all member states simultaneously.
  - Mirioron 7y ago
    You're right! I was thinking about directives here since this was about the copyright directive. Another point is that even when it comes to regulations it generally falls onto the member states themselves to enforce those regulations.
dgellow 7y ago
> Berlin is trying to freeze rents for the next 5 years and make it possible to retroactively lower rents to the level of 2013. Just a note, because that can be misinterpreted very easily: that's something from the local Berlin government (Bundesland), not at the federal level.
TulliusCicero 7y ago
Compared to the US, Germany is more regulation heavy in general. Many of those regulations seem fine or even great, there are definitely ones that weird me out a bit as an American living here though, like legally enforced quiet hours on Sunday, days where it's illegal to dance, and really just the large amount of government-religion interaction.
- ginko 7y ago
  I don't know. The US does seem to also have its fair share of strange, overbearing laws to the point where you can easily find "weirdest us laws" lists online: https://www.businessinsider.com/weird-us-laws?r=US&IR=T https://www.businessinsider.com/weird-us-laws?r=US&IR=T
  - jerf 7y ago
    Those are generally on the books because they are unenforced, so nobody even thinks to remove them. Were they enforced, they'd be struck quickly. Sometimes that even happens. Are the ones in Germany enforced? Honest question, I don't know, and I'm interested in the answer.
    - zaarn 7y ago
      Quiet Hours on Sundays? Definitely enforced. Dancing Ban? Usually not unless you're either A) a very big venue or B) a public place like a school. But for either cases it wouldn't matter much since most of them are closed on those days since they are usually national holidays anyway.
  - Cthulhu_ 7y ago
    I'm more worried about the lack of certain laws in the US - like worker protection, minimum wage, working hours kinda laws.
    - Fjolsvith 7y ago
      > I'm more worried about the lack of certain laws in the US - like worker protection, OSHA, workman comp > minimum wage, Present > working hours kinda laws. Overtime/holiday pay. What's lacking again?
45ure 7y ago
>there's a bizarre trend in Germany in the last few months for legistlating completely unneccesary things. As unnecessary as it might seem, however, it is not bizarre. This piece of legislation was not cooked up overnight, as you suggest. Basically, this is how the start of enacting Article 13 aka 'meme ban' looks like. Article 13 aka "the meme ban" explained. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-article-13-article-11-european-directive-on-copyright-explained-meme-ban https://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-article-13-article-1...

Mirioron 7y ago

I'm pretty sure this is just a consequence of that EU copyright reform that passed some months ago (article 11&13/15&17). At least the linked article talks about it (in German). The EU can't make laws themselves. The way they work is by requiring member states to make laws and this is Germany's.

raverbashing 7y ago
You are correct But the implementation details are left to the member states and of course Germany came up with this in their interpretation of the link tax
johannes1234321 7y ago
Correct, it is the national implementation implementation of an EU directive. And to the other point: There are two kinds of EU law. Regulationsa and directives. Regulations are direct law in all member states, directives need national implementation.
krona 7y ago
> The EU can't make laws themselves. They can. It's called a regulation. Directives are what you're referring to. A regulation is a legal act of the European Union that becomes immediately enforceable as law in all member states simultaneously.
- Mirioron 7y ago
  You're right! I was thinking about directives here since this was about the copyright directive. Another point is that even when it comes to regulations it generally falls onto the member states themselves to enforce those regulations.

dgellow 7y ago

> Berlin is trying to freeze rents for the next 5 years and make it possible to retroactively lower rents to the level of 2013. Just a note, because that can be misinterpreted very easily: that's something from the local Berlin government (Bundesland), not at the federal level.

TulliusCicero 7y ago

Compared to the US, Germany is more regulation heavy in general. Many of those regulations seem fine or even great, there are definitely ones that weird me out a bit as an American living here though, like legally enforced quiet hours on Sunday, days where it's illegal to dance, and really just the large amount of government-religion interaction.

ginko 7y ago
I don't know. The US does seem to also have its fair share of strange, overbearing laws to the point where you can easily find "weirdest us laws" lists online: https://www.businessinsider.com/weird-us-laws?r=US&IR=T https://www.businessinsider.com/weird-us-laws?r=US&IR=T
- jerf 7y ago
  Those are generally on the books because they are unenforced, so nobody even thinks to remove them. Were they enforced, they'd be struck quickly. Sometimes that even happens. Are the ones in Germany enforced? Honest question, I don't know, and I'm interested in the answer.
  - zaarn 7y ago
    Quiet Hours on Sundays? Definitely enforced. Dancing Ban? Usually not unless you're either A) a very big venue or B) a public place like a school. But for either cases it wouldn't matter much since most of them are closed on those days since they are usually national holidays anyway.
- Cthulhu_ 7y ago
  I'm more worried about the lack of certain laws in the US - like worker protection, minimum wage, working hours kinda laws.
  - Fjolsvith 7y ago
    > I'm more worried about the lack of certain laws in the US - like worker protection, OSHA, workman comp > minimum wage, Present > working hours kinda laws. Overtime/holiday pay. What's lacking again?

45ure 7y ago

>there's a bizarre trend in Germany in the last few months for legistlating completely unneccesary things. As unnecessary as it might seem, however, it is not bizarre. This piece of legislation was not cooked up overnight, as you suggest. Basically, this is how the start of enacting Article 13 aka 'meme ban' looks like. Article 13 aka "the meme ban" explained. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-article-13-article-11-european-directive-on-copyright-explained-meme-ban https://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-article-13-article-1...