BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – In the fight for their competitiveness, family businesses are demanding less regulation and faster visa procedures from politicians. Rainer Kirchdörfer, head of the Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics, emphasized on Friday on Family Business Day that Germany should not continue to lose ground economically. An “Agenda for Competitiveness” should include a regulatory freeze, faster visa procedures for foreign skilled workers and a corporate tax reform in several stages.
In addition, the state must shorten approval times. Investment incentives are important. According to Kirchdörfer, the federal government has not yet recognized the seriousness of the situation. So far, there have been no answers as to how Germany will overcome the economic weakness.
The German economy has slid into recession, partly because of consumers’ reluctance to buy amid inflation. Gross domestic product shrank in both the final quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 – experts speak of a “technical recession” if there are two quarterly declines in a row./hoe/DP/jha