Three days in a row plenary session, then the state parliament goes into the Christmas break. On Wednesday, among other things, the 2023 budget will be discussed. The Greens have their own ideas and proposals for this.
Munich (dpa / lby) – The state parliament Greens are calling for a new, longer-term orientation of Bavarian budgetary policy – with a cash drop at the beginning and a prioritization of expenditure. This emerges from a ten-point concept that the Greens drew up in time for the first reading of the next budget in the state parliament.
First you need “a balance sheet that shows what can be financed in the long term and what not, where there is a need for investment and investment backlogs, where money is missing,” said the budget spokeswoman for the Greens, Claudia Köhler, of the German Press Agency. After that, the Free State must prioritize spending and focus on the future. “This includes a socially balanced energy and transport transition, modern infrastructure and education.” Investment subsidies must be examined for their climate impact, social impact and equal opportunities and funding criteria adjusted accordingly, she demanded.
In order to increase revenue, the Greens are calling for better staffing and technical equipment for the tax offices and better combating of tax evasion. And: According to the concept of the Greens, voluntary social benefits from the Free State – such as family allowances or crèche allowances – should be reformed in an income-oriented manner. Family allowance is currently paid completely independently of income. Parents whose income does not exceed a certain household-related income limit receive the crèche allowance.
The Greens emphasize that the past few years have shown that budgetary and financial policy must financially cushion crises in the short term and contribute to crisis management. “But only setting the course will relieve people in the long term and strengthen companies.” “Clear guidelines and principles” are needed.
Measured against this, the draft budget for 2023, which is to be discussed in the first reading in the state parliament on Wednesday, is a total failure, said Köhler. The draft only shows a “keep it up”. Group leader Ludwig Hartmann called for more money for local transport, among other things: “We want to reallocate the millions from the 2023 budget for new roads and invest in modern electric trains, new railway tracks and better bus connections in the future,” argued Hartmann.
