After renouncing his ambitions to become Federal Economics Minister, Entrepreneur Jost Stollmann has strongly criticised SPD head Oskar Lafontaine. Employers associations strongly criticise tax plans Bonn. The leading confederations of the German industry have strongly criticised the red-green coalition contract, in particular the planned tax reform that was branded an employment killer. The planned taxation of energy was poison for the job market. The President of the Council of German Chambers of Commerce, Mr Stihl, expects a further increase in the number of unemployed persons.
Economists call for courageous tax reform Bonn.
Leading economists have criticised the tax reform proposals of the future government as being inadequate. One could not expect to trigger any impulses for growth or on the job market with such a reform, said Germany's six leading economic institutions at the presentation of their joint autumn report. To send a strong signal for new jobs, a reform was needed that visibly lowered tax rates and that abandoned tax loop holes to a great extent. Public finances were in better shape than feared by the incoming government, thus allowing such a big reform. But obviously Social Democrats and The Greens did not have the courage to do so.