4 ms·

There was a lot of hope when the current German government was elected. The current chancellor did his campaign saying the leftist-green ideological politics wo

There was a lot of hope when the current German government was elected. The current chancellor did his campaign saying the leftist-green ideological politics would be over and he is going to drastically reduce the government spending and cut bureaucracy and lift up the economy. People believed him and majority voted for a center right government. However, as soon as he came to power, he broke the promise of fiscal discipline and cutting spending and the first thing he did was passed a bill to burrow more than half a trillion Euros under the votes of old parliament even changing the constitution. Also because of the firewall they have imposed to AfD, for him the only coalition partner was SPD( which is more of a left leaning party) and they formed a government and since then it has been internal conflicts to pass the important legislations to get the country back on track. All these has worked as a boost for the AfD because people realised that apart from AfD the only other main right conservative party in Germany is CDU/CSU (which is the party of the chancellor) and voting for them hasn’t resulted in the change they voted in last election and now, they don’t have any other choice than voting for AfD because voting for the same old parties expecting a different result would be the definition of insanity.

cyberpunk 1mo ago
The OECD calculates Germany's 2025 tax wedge at 49.3%. That's the second highest behind belgium. So we get to work for the state about half the time (including VAT etc), and on-top of it thanks to the Merz masterstroke we're getting an additional 800bn debt between now-2030. Meanwhile, everything seems to be getting worse. We need significant reductions in spending, and I don't think anyone has any clue how to achieve it before the house of cards falls down completely.
- sajithdilshan 1mo ago
  Soon the Germany would be stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to fiscal responsibility. They cannot depreciate the currency because Euro is controlled by Brussels and to pay the interest on debt, they would have to borrow even more and the vicious cycle would continue till they are back in Weimar Republic 2.0
- dinfinity 1mo ago
  > So we get to work for the state about half the time (including VAT etc) Dreadful framing. You work for the benefit of the entirety of Germany including yourself half the time. Instead of viewing it as money you've lost, do this: look at the fractions of what the German (federal, municipal, etc) government spends its budget on, then apply these to what you pay yearly in taxes. Then compare that to the other things you spend money on privately and what value you directly or indirectly get out of what you 'worked for for the state'.
  - sajithdilshan 1mo ago
    That would have worked if the things were getting better and living standards are being elevated. Right now it’s more like your tax is being used in wasteful spending, funding wars and corruption that doesn’t improve the quality of life at all
    - dinfinity 1mo ago
      Have you tried? Because most people judge these things based on feelings rather than data and actual numbers. Those feelings are almost always a bad heavily skewed representation of reality.
      - sajithdilshan 1mo ago
        I live in Berlin and have experienced and living it. I have experienced how much I have to pay extra for groceries, utilities, heating and rent. I have seen how the public transportation has degraded even though the ticket prices are increasing. I have experienced how the take home salary has decreased even over the last 3 years. I have experienced how difficult it is just to get an appointment for a doctor even though I am paying even more for the health insurance. It’s not based on feelings but experience and evidence. I am more than happy to pay the taxes and my share for the society, but only if it’s used for the good used and to make my living standards better. But since Covid times the opposite is happening
        1mo ago
general1465 1mo ago
> All these has worked as a boost for the AfD because people realised that apart from AfD the only other main right conservative party in Germany is CDU/CSU I think that was a mistake and they should have form coalition with AfD and let them try to fulfil their promises to their voters. After delivering either little or dead on arrival laws they would be effectively self-defused.
Timon3 1mo ago
I'd like to note the highly biased nature of this comment. > There was a lot of hope when the current German government was elected. The current chancellor did his campaign saying the leftist-green ideological politics would be over and he is going to drastically reduce the government spending and cut bureaucracy and lift up the economy. People believed him and majority voted for a center right government. The current chancellor is from the CDU, the same party that led the government 16 out of the last 20 years (and the majority of Germany's existence), and they offered nothing but populist non-solutions. Now they're implementing them, and it turns out they're just pushing Germany deeper into the hole the CDU dug for us. > However, as soon as he came to power, he broke the promise of fiscal discipline and cutting spending and the first thing he did was passed a bill to burrow more than half a trillion Euros under the votes of old parliament even changing the constitution. This is a non-argument, since it's just pointing at a Euro amount without arguing why it's not fiscally responsible or how it doesn't align with their campaign promises. I actually agree that it's fiscally irresponsible, but it definitely aligns with Merz's campaign promises. When you vote for a party that promises both fiscal responsibility AND to funnel lots of money to the rich, you're gonna break one of them no matter what - but that's on the voters for believing in both. > Also because of the firewall they have imposed to AfD, for him the only coalition partner was SPD( which is more of a left leaning party) and they formed a government and since then it has been internal conflicts to pass the important legislations to get the country back on track. For the record, the SPD lost >80% of their voters because they have been the CDU's little lapdog for more than a decade, and are actively pushing against non-centrist policies. The "important legislations to get the country back on track" are things like "allowing employers to demand 8 additional hours of work each week" or "allowing employers to force employees to get a sick note on the first day AND no longer paying for single sick days, WHILE ALSO banning sick notes over video appointments AND no longer reimbursing physicians for 'open hours', so if you can't get that sick note, sucks to be you". In comparison, the party FDP (who literally let the richest capitalists directly participate in their decisions) actually blocked a bunch of agreed-upon things in the only recent left-of-center government. After the coalition fell apart, investigative journalism revealed that they literally planned on entering the government with the intention of blocking as much as possible before blowing up the coalition.
- 1mo ago

cyberpunk 1mo ago

The OECD calculates Germany's 2025 tax wedge at 49.3%. That's the second highest behind belgium. So we get to work for the state about half the time (including VAT etc), and on-top of it thanks to the Merz masterstroke we're getting an additional 800bn debt between now-2030. Meanwhile, everything seems to be getting worse. We need significant reductions in spending, and I don't think anyone has any clue how to achieve it before the house of cards falls down completely.

sajithdilshan 1mo ago
Soon the Germany would be stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to fiscal responsibility. They cannot depreciate the currency because Euro is controlled by Brussels and to pay the interest on debt, they would have to borrow even more and the vicious cycle would continue till they are back in Weimar Republic 2.0
dinfinity 1mo ago
> So we get to work for the state about half the time (including VAT etc) Dreadful framing. You work for the benefit of the entirety of Germany including yourself half the time. Instead of viewing it as money you've lost, do this: look at the fractions of what the German (federal, municipal, etc) government spends its budget on, then apply these to what you pay yearly in taxes. Then compare that to the other things you spend money on privately and what value you directly or indirectly get out of what you 'worked for for the state'.
- sajithdilshan 1mo ago
  That would have worked if the things were getting better and living standards are being elevated. Right now it’s more like your tax is being used in wasteful spending, funding wars and corruption that doesn’t improve the quality of life at all
  - dinfinity 1mo ago
    Have you tried? Because most people judge these things based on feelings rather than data and actual numbers. Those feelings are almost always a bad heavily skewed representation of reality.
    - sajithdilshan 1mo ago
      I live in Berlin and have experienced and living it. I have experienced how much I have to pay extra for groceries, utilities, heating and rent. I have seen how the public transportation has degraded even though the ticket prices are increasing. I have experienced how the take home salary has decreased even over the last 3 years. I have experienced how difficult it is just to get an appointment for a doctor even though I am paying even more for the health insurance. It’s not based on feelings but experience and evidence. I am more than happy to pay the taxes and my share for the society, but only if it’s used for the good used and to make my living standards better. But since Covid times the opposite is happening
      - 1mo ago

general1465 1mo ago

> All these has worked as a boost for the AfD because people realised that apart from AfD the only other main right conservative party in Germany is CDU/CSU I think that was a mistake and they should have form coalition with AfD and let them try to fulfil their promises to their voters. After delivering either little or dead on arrival laws they would be effectively self-defused.

Timon3 1mo ago

I'd like to note the highly biased nature of this comment. > There was a lot of hope when the current German government was elected. The current chancellor did his campaign saying the leftist-green ideological politics would be over and he is going to drastically reduce the government spending and cut bureaucracy and lift up the economy. People believed him and majority voted for a center right government. The current chancellor is from the CDU, the same party that led the government 16 out of the last 20 years (and the majority of Germany's existence), and they offered nothing but populist non-solutions. Now they're implementing them, and it turns out they're just pushing Germany deeper into the hole the CDU dug for us. > However, as soon as he came to power, he broke the promise of fiscal discipline and cutting spending and the first thing he did was passed a bill to burrow more than half a trillion Euros under the votes of old parliament even changing the constitution. This is a non-argument, since it's just pointing at a Euro amount without arguing why it's not fiscally responsible or how it doesn't align with their campaign promises. I actually agree that it's fiscally irresponsible, but it definitely aligns with Merz's campaign promises. When you vote for a party that promises both fiscal responsibility AND to funnel lots of money to the rich, you're gonna break one of them no matter what - but that's on the voters for believing in both. > Also because of the firewall they have imposed to AfD, for him the only coalition partner was SPD( which is more of a left leaning party) and they formed a government and since then it has been internal conflicts to pass the important legislations to get the country back on track. For the record, the SPD lost >80% of their voters because they have been the CDU's little lapdog for more than a decade, and are actively pushing against non-centrist policies. The "important legislations to get the country back on track" are things like "allowing employers to demand 8 additional hours of work each week" or "allowing employers to force employees to get a sick note on the first day AND no longer paying for single sick days, WHILE ALSO banning sick notes over video appointments AND no longer reimbursing physicians for 'open hours', so if you can't get that sick note, sucks to be you". In comparison, the party FDP (who literally let the richest capitalists directly participate in their decisions) actually blocked a bunch of agreed-upon things in the only recent left-of-center government. After the coalition fell apart, investigative journalism revealed that they literally planned on entering the government with the intention of blocking as much as possible before blowing up the coalition.

1mo ago