Left party demands higher social security contributions for high incomes

The Left Party is calling for top earners to contribute appropriately to the financing of the social security system. "Anyone with a six or even seven-figure income should have to pay appropriate social security contributions and higher taxes," explained party and parliamentary group leader Susanne Schaper. A wealth tax is also necessary.

"It won't make anyone poor, but it will make us all richer," emphasized Schaper. This is the only way to make the country fairer, invest in infrastructure in the long term and keep the community functioning. The "Sächsische Zeitung" and "Leipziger Volkszeitung" had reported first.

Schaper recalled the contribution assessment limits. Contributions for pension and unemployment insurance are only due for annual incomes up to 96,600 euros, while the limit for health and long-term care insurance is 66,150 euros. Every additional euro is free of contributions.

In 2022, there were 499 income millionaires in Saxony

The chairwoman of the Left Party had requested information on income millionaires in a minor question in the state parliament. The Ministry of Finance currently only has complete information up to 2022. At that time, there were 499 income millionaires in Saxony. In 2014, their number was less than half that (230). The person with the highest income earned almost 24 million euros in 2022. In total, the income millionaires estimated a good 1.2 billion euros at that time. Their number had risen steadily in recent years.

Left-wing parties demand more tax audits

The left-wing parties criticize the fact that the tax administration only audits a fraction of millionaire incomes. "The rate has never been above 30 percent since 2014, in 2021 the tax authorities only looked more closely at four percent and in 2022 at just one percent of those affected," they said. This is unacceptable. Especially with these huge incomes, it must be ensured that everything is taxed correctly.

However, measured against the two million taxpayers in Saxony, the number of income millionaires is low. And even compared to other federal states, there are rather few top earners living in the Free State. Most income millionaires live in Bavaria (6,801), followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (6,550) and Baden-Württemberg (4,629). The east drops off sharply.
According to statistics, there were 29,345 income millionaires nationwide in 2020.