BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Before important negotiations on the traffic light coalition’s growth package, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck pushed for an agreement. “That has to happen now,” said the Green politician on Tuesday in Berlin.
The Growth Opportunities Act is intended, among other things, to provide tax relief for companies. However, the Federal Council blocked the project on the grounds that the states would have to bear a large part of the costs. That’s why the law is currently in the mediation process between the Bundestag and the state chamber – the mediation committee of the Bundesrat and Bundestag will meet on Wednesday.
The law can only be a partial answer to the need to stimulate investment in Germany, said Habeck. Given the budget situation, it was originally supposed to amount to eight billion euros, including contributions from the federal, state and local governments. “Now it has become even smaller, but these impulses should come. And to be honest, they are already coming too late.” After further negotiations, there is now general talk of a volume of around three billion euros.
Habeck said that the Union had repeatedly asked for a period of time to think about it and that approval had recently also attached conditions to agricultural diesel. The Union only wants to agree to the law if the SPD, Greens and FDP forego the planned abolition of the tax relief for agricultural diesel./hrz/DP/zb