The SPD, Green and Left parties have called for a reform of the debt brake at federal and state level. "The current debt brakes are clearly outdated", said SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Panter in the state parliament on Wednesday. In their current form, they would become a brake on investment, the future and cohesion. A cross-party commission from the federal, state and local governments could and should develop a viable proposal. The Federal Constitutional Court's ruling is now sounding the alarm bell. "The enormous change we are facing can only be shouldered with investment from the state."
The left-wing parties warned against making cuts to the federal budget at the expense of the most vulnerable. "We already experienced this in the debate about Hartz IV 20 years ago: the unemployed and poor as the nation's scapegoats," said party leader Susanne Schaper. In addition, investments in education, health, climate protection, local authorities and future industries are in question. "The investment brake must be removed from the Basic Law and the state constitution. The world is laughing at this absurd German fetish, while the major economic nations are investing to advance digitalization and restructure the energy supply." Loans are essential to finance investments that pay off later.
