BERLIN – German Finance Minister Christian Lindner has tasked his officials with preparing a growth package including lowering income and corporation tax, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) daily reported on Tuesday, citing an internal document.
The document sets out what it describes as a “turning point in economic and financial policy” for Europe’s biggest economy for the next two years, reported the newspaper.
Arguing that Germany had fallen behind and that high energy prices, caused in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, had put German companies under pressure, the document said state money was not a solution in the long run.
“We cannot counter this challenge in the long run with more state money and industrial policy subsidies,” the FAZ quoted the document as saying.
Officials at the finance ministry were not immediately available to comment.
In concrete terms, reported the FAZ, the document set out the case for a general reduction in income and corporation tax and also contained proposals for the labour market and social security. The FAZ gave no further details.